Brendan Namron: Ace Attorney  Case 2
by Strife89
Summary: Brendan Namron finds himself involved in a case that hits closer to home than any other, and one of his closest friends has been blamed for it! Can he find out who the true culprit is without giving in to heartbreak?
1. Chapter 1

Brendan Namron: Ace Attorney – Case 2 (Turnabout Tragedy)

Written by Michael Carr (Strife89)

Pokémon, its concepts, and all respective characters © Nintendo, Game Freak, and underlying authors

Ace Attorney, its concepts, and all respective characters © Capcom and underlying authors

Series, original characters and ideas © Michael Carr and his inspirers (full credits later)

Pokémon stats determined with the aid of StatCalc.

Other Pokémon data retrieved from this online Pokédex.

Playtesting and additional ideas by Aeger, Cherre, and LambdaCalculus379.

Original ideas inspired by ShadowKunx372 and his series.

Please see the text of case 1 for the color code and battle notes.

[ 4:39 PM – July 25th, 2017 ]

[ Route 35 ]

*black screen* (Music: _Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver_ - Route 30)

Brendan: (narrating) The last time I had walked even nearly that much was during my last days as a real trainer, four years ago. I was 19 then …

Brendan: But anyway, Phoenix, Skye and I had gone through Ecruteak City and spent the 23rd at Olivine City. Skye really enjoyed the beach.

Brendan: The next day, Skye offered to teleport us back to Goldenrod -

Skye: ("voiceover", if you want to call it that) Aren't you tired of walking?

Brendan: - but we all found that we enjoyed the scenery too much to do it.

Brendan: It reminded me of the best parts of my training days, when the gang and I could just roam free, take in all the sights … *sigh*

Brendan: I thought about Roxanne's words, at one point. How she thought that I would make a great Trainer if I would just start again.

Brendan: Skye would always look at me strangely whenever I thought about it. Who knows what's on her mind … ?

Brendan: But anyway, we were almost back at Goldenrod City. I couldn't wait to get a shower and take a nice, long nap in my bed.

(Music stops.)

Brendan: But the funny thing is, that never happened. What did happen, though, was something I never could have seen coming. Something that changed our lives … forever.

[ 4:45 PM - July 25th, 2017 ]

[ Goldenrod City – North Gate ]

(Music: _Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver_ – Goldenrod City)

Brendan: *ahhhhhhh* Good to be home, isn't it?

Phoenix: I'll say. I need me a burger, stat!

Skye: *giggle* We should get out more, though. I say we go south next time!

Brendan: I'll consider it, Skye. Right now the only thing I feel like doing is flopping on my bed and getting some rest.

?: Is that all? (Music stops.) I figured you'd be willing to at least say hello first.

Brendan: Wha …. ?

?: It's good to see you too, son. (Music resumes.)

Brendan: M-Mom? Hey! Wh-when did you get here?

Lily: I took a ship over when I heard about your first case! You didn't think I was just gonna sit there in the living room and watch your success pass by, did you?

Brendan: Errrr ….

**COURT RECORD**:

_**Evidence**_

**Attorney's Badge**: Proof of my current profession. I wear it with a little more pride nowadays.

**Pokégear**: A really fancy "wristwatch". Recently upgraded to make it capable of translating Pokémon speech.

**Bag**: My bag from when I was a Trainer. Has three unused Pokéballs and a Potion in it.

**Trinket**: Lily picked this up while we were heading back through Ecruteak City. It has a curious design.

_**Profiles**_

**Brendan Namron**: (AGE: 23) Me, of course. Originally a Trainer in Hoenn, I came back to Johto to study law four years ago.

**Lily Namron**: (AGE: 45) My mother. She and I originally lived in Johto, but we moved to Hoenn in 2007 after my father became a Gym Leader there.

**Phoenix**: (AGE: 5) My Torchic. Son of a Pokémon I released before I moved back to Johto.

**Skye**: (AGE: 9) My Kirlia. Joined the forensics team the day I became a lawyer. Daughter of another Pokémon from my training days.

_**Party**_

**Phoenix** (Torchic): Lv. 14, 48 HP. 32 ATK, 27 DEF, 28 SPEED, 36 SP. ATK, 30 SP. DEF - Ember, Aerial Ace, Growl, Focus Energy

**Skye** (Kirlia): Lv. 20, 61 HP. 31 ATK, 36 DEF, 40 SPEED, 48 SP. ATK, 44 SP. DEF - Confusion, Teleport, Reflect, Thunderpunch

**Options**: Talk, Present

**Talk: Topics**

Lily (Why You Came)

How's Life?

What have you been up to?

**Lily**

Brendan: Mom, I don't mean to complain or anything, but … you've never come to celebrate any of my, er, victories before.

Lily: I know that too well, Brendan. It's because you were always on the move during your training days. You were so full of energy as a kid … never did stop traveling. Your father did a lot of the same, before he became a Gym Leader. Sure, I never showed up, but I never stopped thinking about either of you.

Brendan: I see. So then, what brings you here now?

Lily: Well, you're in a career now that doesn't call for much walking around. I always know where you are, so I actually stand a chance of catching up!

Brendan: … Good point. Still, I really appreciate the visit.

Lily: You're welcome. If you want, maybe I can make this a regular thing.

Brendan: That'd be great, actually. (No foolin'. I haven't seen any of my biological family in four years …)

Skye: (…)

**How's Life?**

Brendan: So, Mom, how's life been treatin' you?

Lily: Can't complain. Norman keeps food in the pantry, and I put the food on the table. Plus, I haven't done any detective work in years. Hoenn's been pretty quiet.

Brendan: I see … Wait, "detective work"?

**Talk: Topics**

*Lily (Why You Came)

*How's Life?

Detective Work

What have you been up to?

**What have you been up to?**

Brendan: So, have you done anything interesting lately?

Lily: Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?

Brendan: Just thought I'd ask.

**Detective Work**

Brendan: Mom, what's this detective work you mentioned?

Lily: Didn't you know? I used to do some unofficial detective work for the Lilycove Police Department. They never actually hired me, but they paid me a decent sum for my findings.

Brendan: Ah, I didn't know that at all.

Lily: Is that so? I could have sworn I told you at some point before you moved back to here. Then again, I did do most of it while you were on the Gym Challenge …

Brendan: I see.

**All Topics Discussed**

**Event Triggered**

Lily: Whew, I'm tired of standing here.

Brendan: Same here. Anyone up for a trip to the Goldenrod Grill?

Phoenix: ! I am!

Skye: I'm all for it!

Lily: Woah! Your Pokémon can talk?

Brendan: Yes and no, Mom. My Pokégear's translating for Phoenix; Lily's speaking in our heads.

Lily: That's quite amazing! Anyway, the Goldenrod Grill? Can't say I've heard of it.

Brendan: They'd had it under construction for a while, up 'till last month. They've got some FABULOUS food.

Lily: I see. Well, I was actually hoping to treat you tonight, but I guess we can stop there. …

Skye: ("Treat us"? Brendan, how good of a cook is she?)

Brendan: (Like you wouldn't believe, if I remember right. One bite of any dish she makes will have you skip death and go straight to Heaven.)

Skye: (… This I have to see. We can go to the Grill another day.)

Brendan: (You sure?)

Skye: (Positive.)

Brendan: … On second thought, Mom, I'd like to see what you have in mind.

Lily: *warm smile* Thanks, honey. Let's get on over to your place, then.

Phoenix: WHAT? Are you mad, Brendan? We've gotta show her the Goldenrod Grill!

Phoenix: They make the best burgers in the world! They're like nothing you've ever tasted, Mrs. Namron!

Phoenix: We've got to go ... !

(Music fades out. Transition to …)

[ 5:27 PM – July 25th, 2017 ]

[ Goldenrod City – Brendan's House – Living Room]

Brendan: Well, this is the place. It's not much, but it –

Lily: It's much nicer than that hotel room I was staying in, that's for sure!

Brendan: (… Must have been one awful hotel.)

Brendan: (Makes me glad I bought this place BEFORE I moved here.)

Brendan: Mom, if you want, I can go get your stuff from that hotel and put it in the guest bedroom …

Lily: Will you? That's great, honey! Thank you!

Brendan: Alright, just tell me the room number and I'll g –

Skye: We just came from a huge walk, Brendan! Here, I'll go get the stuff. What's the room number?

Lily: Thirteen.

Skye: I'm on it! *flash*

Lily: Thank you~! …. Brendan, honey, where are the ingredients?

Brendan: (pointing) In there, Mom.

Lily: Ah, I see. *sounds of rummaging through the pantry*

Brendan: …. Mom, about the whole detective thing ….

Lily: You're curious about it, aren't you?

Brendan: … Yes, I am.

Lily: Well, then, what are you waiting for? Ask away!

(Music: _Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver_ – New Bark Town)

**Options**: Talk, Present

**Talk: Topics**

Why investigate?

When did you investigate?

With whom did you investigate?

What did you investigate?

**Why investigate?**

Brendan: Why'd you get into investigation, anyway?

Lily: Well, I didn't have any formal training, officially, so they couldn't pay me well,

Lily: but it was something I've always enjoyed doing. The thrill of discovery, you know?

Lily: Plus, it gave me peace of mind.

Brendan: (Peace of mind …. Of course, she was always worried about me while I was out-and-about in Hoenn. Can't blame her, either, what with Team Magma and Team Aqua in my earlier years ….)

Brendan: (Something tells me that she had other things on her conscience as well, though.)

**When did you investigate?**

Brendan: Mom, exactly when did you do most of your investigation stuff?

Lily: I started very shortly after we settled into Littleroot. Once the unpacking was done, I admittedly had little else to do. Unless you count keeping the house tidy.

Brendan: I see. So, when did you stop? Was there a real cutoff point?

Lily: More or less. It was about … June 2008, I think.

Brendan: (So it was for only about a year? Hmmm ….)

**With whom did you investigate?**

Brendan: Tell me again who you investigated with, please.

Lily: Certainly. The Lilycove Police Headquarters is the closest connection Hoenn has to the International Police. So I did a lot of my work for them.

Brendan: Wow, so the International Police were connected to your research?

Lily: Yes. They were investigating several criminal organizations around that time, including Team Rocket, Teams Magma and Aqua, and …

Brendan: …. "And"?

Lily: …. and Team Galactic.

**Talk: Topics**

*Why investigate?

*When did you investigate?

Team Galactic

What did you investigate?

**What did you investigate?**

Brendan: Mom, what exactly were you investigating?

Lily: Several things. The International Police were looking for leads on several criminal organizations, like Team Rocket, Teams Magma and Aqua, and Team Galactic.

Brendan: So, a bunch of nuts in uniforms trying to screw with the world were all running their own operations at once?

Lily: … You could say that. They weren't all at the same time, but they were pretty close together, and they had each been garnering interest from the police for different lengths of time. Team Galactic … was watched the longest.

Brendan: (That can't have been good. What were they doing, I wonder?)

**Team Galactic**

Brendan: Mom, you know I knew of Teams Aqua and Magma, and I knew a fair bit about Team Rocket, but what's this Team Galactic? What were they doing?

Lily: … Team Galactic's leader, Cyrus, was bent on destroying the world and recreating it in his own image.

Brendan: W-What?

Lily: Yup. The International Police ended up sending a detective after a tip-off from me to the Lilycove Police. Their base was in this place called Veilstone City, in the Sinnoh region.

Brendan: … Wow.

Lily: A young trainer a lot like yourself bumped into Team Galactic several times, according to Detective Looker. When Cyrus tried to summon two special Pokémon to end the world, that kid, plus a friend of his and Looker, chased them to the top of Mount Coronet and got in their way.

Brendan: Sounds like that kid went though a lot.

Lily: Yeah. And it wasn't over. Cyrus disappeared - heaven knows where - and the rest of Galactic tried to start an eruption from the northern volcano. Looker arrested the last of 'em in the end, though. All three admins, too …. I can even name 'em for you. Jupiter, Saturn, and Charon.

Brendan: I see.

**All Topics Discussed**

**Event Triggered**

(Music stops.)

Brendan: (Hmmm, I've collected a lot of information. Maybe I should jot some of it down ….)

**[Lilycove Police Headquarters added to the Court Record.]**

**Lilycove Police Headquarters**: Hoenn's highest-ranking police group. Has connections with the International Police. My mom, Lily, did off-the-clock research for them.

**[International Police added to the Court Record.]**

**International Police**: Did ongoing investigations on big criminal organizations from at least 2007 to 2008.

**[Cyrus added to Profiles in the Court Record.]**

**Cyrus**: A sinister man that wanted to erase the world and remake it his way. After a kid from Sinnoh stopped him, he disappeared. (image silhouetted)

**[Team Galactic added to the Court Record.]**

**Team Galactic**: Criminal organization that ran at its peak in 2008. The International Police had an eagle eye on them. In addition to Cyrus as the boss, it had three admins: Jupiter, Saturn, and Charon; all have been arrested.

**[Lily Namron updated in the Profiles of the Court Record.]**

**Lily Namron**: (AGE: 45) My mother. She and I originally lived in Johto, but we moved to Hoenn in 2007 after my father became a Gym Leader there. Did unofficial research for the Lilycove Police for about a year.

Brendan: (Jeez, that's a lot to remember …)

*flash*

Brendan: (Hunh? That light came from the guest bedroom. That means it must be …)

Skye: I'm baaaaack! Everything's set up! No offense, Mrs. Namron, but you really shouldn't keep so many papers strewn everywhere …. It promotes general untidiness.

Lily: *chuckle* No offense taken, Skye. … But I definitely don't remember leaving any papers out …

Brendan: (Yeah, that is weird. Mom never left a mess in the house, not even a minor one.)

Lily: … Aha! This is everything! Guess I better get started!

Skye: Ah … er … Mrs. Namron?

Lily: Hmmm?

Skye: Do you … mind if I help you cook … ?

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations_ - Lordly Tailor Department Store)

Lily: Not at all! I can always use a helping hand!

(Fade to black.)

Brendan: (Narrating) Phoenix and I were practically drooling on the table for the next hour and a half as we watched Skye and my mom cook.

Brendan: At one point, it looked like even a bystander was looking inside, trying to find the source of the wonderful smell. I gave them a friendly wave.

Brendan: By 7:30, there was a feast on the table, and every bit of it looked fit for a king. We all sat down around the table and began to eat, making small talk and complimenting the chefs.

Brendan: Skye was pretty jealous, though. She had never cooked anything this good, not by herself. She was worth a four-star restaurant in her own right, but this food was SIX stars.

Brendan: Phoenix even said it was "better than the Grill's burgers!" We got a good laugh out of that.

Brendan: Pretty soon, we were all stuffed.

Brendan: Skye made cleanup a snap, and we soon settled down in the living room for a while, discussing how things had been for us in Johto. (Music fades out.)

Brendan: Skye went to her room around 9 to do forensics work on some weapons the Goldenrod Police asked her to look at. Something about a bloody knife and a chemical.

Brendan: At ten, the rest of us turned in to our rooms. I settled in and studied an interesting case file.

Brendan: I think it was about 11:30 when I finally shut down for the night.

Brendan: And as I drifted off to sleep, I could have sworn I heard a faint "Mrow" from somewhere nearby …

?: !

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_ - Thrill Theme ~ Suspense)

Brendan: W-What was that? Who's there?

(FLASH to the living room)

Brendan: W-Who screamed? Answer me!

Phoenix: Wasn't me! What's going on?

Skye: Brendan ….. I-It w-was Lily …. She …. she ….

Brendan: No …. MOM!

(FLASH to the guest bedroom. Inside …)

(Lily lies in her bed, a large knife piercing her chest. Dark-red blood seeps from the wound.)

Brendan: N-No! Mom! MOM!

Lily: Brendan … i-it was h-her …. The l-last one …..

Brendan: The last what? Mom! Mom, please, hold on! Please!

Skye: (I-I'll get an ambulance! Hold on, Brendan!) *flash*

Lily: Everything …. is …. up …. to ….. you …...

Brendan: Mom …. Mom! Mom, please, don't die on me …... Don't …...

Brendan: Don't …... go …...

Brendan: (narrating) She died just two minutes later. The ambulance never had a chance.

Brendan: We all just …. stood there for the longest time, crying. None of us could sleep any more.

Brendan: I didn't know anything …. Who killed her, why, how they got in, what I was supposed to do, anything …..

Brendan: I didn't know anything …. What was I supposed to do?

Brendan: (out loud) What am I supposed to do?

TO BE CONTINUED …


	2. Chapter 2

[ 6:28 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Somewhere in Goldenrod City ]

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For _All - Investigation ~ Core 2002)

Brendan: What do you mean, she's under arrest? She hasn't done a thing, I tell you!

?: Sorry, pal, but that's the way it's gonna be! All of the evidence points to her, and no one else!

Brendan: This is outrageous! She hasn't been allowed to defend herself or anything!

?: You know full-well that she will get a chance to do just that in court, pal!

Brendan: But the trial is set to start in less than four hours! Nobody can prepare a good defense in that amount of time!

Brendan: And speaking of which, who's gonna defend her? Some fourth-rate lawyer with an axe to grind? Hmmm?

?: Watch it, pal, or I'll throw you off the case! For now, I'm allowing you to defend her, if that is what she wishes.

?: Anything you do is gonna have to be fast, though. Like you said, you've only got a little more than three hours to prepare your case.

Brendan: But that –

?: Listen to me, pal. Not everyone on the forensics team was happy about her joining. If you give them a reason to bite, they will, and the prosecutor for this case WILL listen to them. Don't ever give them that reason.

Brendan: … Detective Slooth, I …

Slooth: You know what you need to do. Go talk to Kirlia, then go to your house and take notes of everything. That's all you're gonna have time for. Be in the courthouse by 9 and I'll do what I can to help, pal.

Brendan: ….

Slooth: Look, I'm sorry about your mother. I just wish there was something we could do …

Brendan: …. That's the thing, isn't it?

Slooth: ?

Brendan: Once some damage is taken, a Potion brings your health back.

Brendan: But once a life is taken, nothing can bring it back …

Slooth: …. You'd better not spend any more time here, pal. Get going!

Brendan: R-Right!

**[Detective Slooth added to Profiles in the Court Record.]**

**Detective Slooth**: High-ranking detective at the Goldenrod Police Department. Always there for someone in a jam.

**Move: Locations**

Detention Center

**Detention Center**

(Music stops.)

[ 6:48 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Goldenrod City Detention Center ]

Skye: …

Brendan: Skye …. I …. I would never –

Skye: I know.

Skye: Right now, the only way any of us are going to get through this is if we play our roles …. and do our jobs.

Brendan: …

Skye: … So go ahead, Master. Do your job.

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations_ - Detention Center ~ Elegy of the Detained)

**Options**: Talk, Move, Present

**Talk: Subjects Move: Locations**

What Happened Slooth's Room

Brendan's House - Outside

**What Happened**

Brendan: Skye, I know this is tough for both of us to talk about, but …. what do you know about what happened?

Skye: ….

Brendan: I-It's okay …. Don't worry abou –

Skye: I know very little.

Skye: I believe I woke up at about 12:15 AM to a p-piercing scream, which came from the guest bedroom.

Skye: We all woke up, gathered in the living room, and then w-went into the g-guest bedroom.

Skye: There … w-we f-found L-Lily …... K-Knife stuck in h-her chest .… *sob*

Brendan: *sniff* (… No, I can't cry …. Not in front of her ….)

Skye: …. *sniff*

Skye: …. The knife.

Brendan: ?

Skye: Ask me about t-the knife.

Brendan: (… I know she means well, but I've got a really bad feeling.)

Skye: ….

**Talk: Subjects**

*What Happened

The Knife

**The Knife**

Brendan: Skye … do you know of anything important regarding the murder weapon?

Skye: …. Yes.

Brendan: ….… Please tell me.

Skye: …. T-That knife was handed to me by the forensics team last week, to examine in detail. It has several fingerprints and a large bloodstain, as well as traces of an unknown chemical.

Brendan: So, then, this knife was in your room last night up until the murder?

Skye: … Yes.

Brendan: …. You gotta be kidding …. that's the ONLY evidence they're using to link you to this case?

Skye: …. No.

Brendan: I see …. - Wait, what? What else is there?

Skye: …. I touched it.

Brendan: (…. Crap.)

**Talk: Subjects**

*What Happened

*The Knife

Touched It

**Touched It**

Brendan: When did you touch the knife?

Skye: … Last night.

Brendan: !

Skye: I … I was absentmindedly flipping it over with my bare hand.

Brendan: (But couldn't you hav – Nevermind.) I see.

**[Skye's Testimony added to the Court Record.]**

**Skye's Testimony**: She absentmindedly handled the knife with a bare hand on the night of the murder.

**[ Skye's Profile has been updated in the Court Record.]**

**Skye**: (AGE: 9) My Kirlia. Joined the forensics team the day I became a lawyer. Daughter of another Pokémon from my training days. Currently my client, accused of the murder of Lily Namron.

**All Subjects Discussed**

Brendan: (I don't think I can get her to talk about anything else right now.)  
Brendan: (I'd better go ho– to the crime scene and see if there's anything else I can find.)

**[Skye removed from the party.]**

**Move: Locations**

Slooth's Room

Brendan's House - Outside

**Brendan's House - Outside**

(Music stops.)

[ 7:16 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Brendan's House – Outside ]

Brendan: (The cops are running around everywhere, looking for more clues.)

Brendan: (My home will never be the same again.)

Brendan: (I dunno if I'll even feel safe in it anymore ….)  
Brendan: …

Brendan: (What's that? Something's up with the front door …)

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_ - Solitary Confinement ~ Darkness Theme)

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Examine: Areas Move: Locations**

Front Door: Locks Detention Center

Doorstep Brendan's House – Living Room

Flower Bed

**Examine**

Front Door: Locks

Doorstep

Flower Bed

**Front Door: Locks**

Brendan: T-The deadbolt's bolt is missing! There's a lock mechanism, but nothing to actually make the lock!

Brendan: … Crap, and there are scratches on the doorknob face. Someone tried to pick this lock, I'm sure of it!

**[Altered Locks added to the Court Record.]**

**Altered Locks**: Someone apparently picked my normal lock and took out the bolt. How they managed the latter is beyond me.

**Examine**

*Front Door: Locks

Doorstep

Flower Bed

**Flower Bed**

Brendan: I don't remember seeing these marks in the soil before.

Brendan: There's a large dent here, near the corner of the concrete. No idea what that is.

Brendan: Next to it, though, are four small paw-prints.

Brendan: These might be important ….

**[A photo of the Bed Prints was added to the Court Record.]**

**Bed Prints**: Four small paw prints and a larger dent were found in the dirt next to the doorstep. Photo is timestamped at 7:20 AM.

**Examine**

*Front Door: Locks

Doorstep

*Flower Bed

**Doorstep**

Brendan: I … don't really see anything here, actually.

Brendan: Just the same old rubber marks and chips into the concrete.

Brendan: Wait …. what's this?

**[Cat hair added to the Court Record.]**

**Cat Hair**: Any feline could have left this on my doorstep, but somehow this hair strikes me as oddly important.

Brendan: A stray cat hair …. very darkly colored. This might come in handy.

**All examinable areas checked**

Brendan: Well, better get moving. I don't have much time ….

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Move**

Detention Center

Brendan's House – Living Room

**Brendan's House – Living Room**

Brendan: …. Well, here I am again. The police have been swarming the inside for hours.

Brendan: Like bees in their hive …. I can't afford to stick around for long.

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_ - Solitary Confinement ~ Darkness Theme)

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Examine**

Carpet

**Carpet**

Brendan: There's some dirt littered across the carpet. They way they're spaced, I'd guess that the tracker was running.

Brendan: Hmmm? What's this?

**[Cat Hair updated in the Court Record]**

**Cat Hair**: A single hair was found on the doorstep, and several more hairs were found on the living room carpet.

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Move**:

Brendan's House – Outside

Brendan's House – Guest Room

Brendan's House – Skye's Room

**Brendan's House – Skye's Room**

(Music fades out rapidly.)

Brendan: …. So, this is the room where the murder weapon was obtained?

Brendan: I feel like some would claim that that's more than enough to convict Skye ….

Brendan: … But I know it wasn't her! It couldn't have been ….

Brendan: Somewhere in one of these two rooms is something that can help me save her ….

Brendan: …. isn't there?

(Music: _Iji_ - All That Can Wait)

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Examine**

Table  
Bed

Floor

Window

**Bed**

Brendan: This is Skye's favorite bed. It's really soft and cushiony.

Brendan: She told me once that this is where she likes to lie down when she's upset. It always calms her nerves.

Brendan: If I could drag this thing around for her, I would ….

**Table**

Brendan: I guess the knife was on this table before it was picked up by the murderer.

Brendan: They definitely knew what they wanted. Nothing else on the table has even been touched. Skye's neat arrangement gives it away.

Brendan: If we get through this, I'm getting her an evidence cabinet.

**Floor**

Brendan: There's nothing out of the ordinary here. Skye barely leaves a mark on any floor, and it doesn't look like the murderer left anything behind.

Brendan: … There doesn't appear to be any cat hair in here, either.

**Window**

Brendan: Skye usually keeps the windows looking like crystal, but …. this one looks … smudged.

Brendan: … ! Wait a minute …

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney_ – Suspense)

Brendan: I just remembered …. I saw someone or something looking through one of the windows last night! Could … could they have been the murderer, spying on us?

Brendan: D-Detective!

Detective: Sir?

Brendan: I want these windows checked for prints on the outside as soon as possible!

Detective: Yes, sir!

Brendan: All of them, got it?

Brendan: (There he goes ….)

Brendan: (There's no way they'll have a result in time for the trial. Not without Skye's help.)  
Brendan: (I do have time to check out one last place …. The crime scene.)

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Move**

Brendan's House – Living Room

**Brendan's House – Living Room**

(Music stops.)

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Move**

Brendan's House – Outside

Brendan's House – Guest Room

Brendan's House – Skye's Room

**Brendan's House – Guest Room**

(Music: _Iji_ - All That Can Wait)

Brendan: There lies my mom. Rest in peace ….

Brendan: It's so hard to look at her. The bloodstains are horrible, and that knife is still stuck in her and …. ulgh.

Brendan: I … I won't give up, Mom. Not for you, not for Phoenix, not for Skye. …

Brendan: There's something in here that can help me in the trial … I know there is ….

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Examine**

Body

Knife

Bed

Floor

**Floor**

Brendan: The floor has been walked on so much that the carpet's starting to look funny.

Brendan: Nothing to see down there but some dirt, though. Don't cops even bother to wipe their shoes ...?

**Bed**

Brendan: Dried blood is all over the bedsheets … some of it managed to trickle down the side that Mom was lying on …

Brendan: There don't appear to be any signs of a struggle. It's like Mom was already sleeping face up ...

Brendan: … I guess they photographed the bedsheets before they pulled them back like that, so they could take a better look.

Brendan: Like anyone wants a better look at this scene….

**Body**

Brendan: Mom's definitely seen … better days.

Brendan: …... I don't see any unusual marks on her or her clothes. The killer only needed one stab at it, I guess. That **must **mean that Mom was asleep ….

Brendan: … What a coward, whoever he was. Killing someone when they have no hope of knowing you're coming ….

**[Stabbing Note added to the Court Record.]**

**Stabbing Note**: There were no marks on the front of Mom's body or clothes to indicate that she was stabbed more than once.

**Knife**

Brendan: It's a fairly large knife, perfect for cutting large foods or …. doing this.

Brendan: No idea how long it is, but it looks like it's in deep ….. (*urk!*)

Brendan: The handle's made of what looks like a very smooth plastic. I can't tell for sure. You can see a strip of metal running through it, like it's just a long strip of metal with two plastic grips bonded on the sides at the end.

Brendan: There's blood splattered all over it. Probably from when the deed was done …

Brendan: Skye said there was a bloodstain all over the blade, too. I don't see it, so I guess it's further down.

**[Knife added to the Court Record.]**

**Knife**: The murder weapon. Skye was examining it as evidence for another murder. Said to have a bloodstain from a prior murder.

**All areas examined.**

Brendan: …. I really shouldn't stay in this room any more. I fear I'll break down and just sit beside the bed for a while ….

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Move**

Brendan's House – Living Room

**Brendan's House – Living Room**

(Music stops.)

[ 8:34 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Brendan's House ]

?: What are you still doing here?

Brendan: Waaah! Detective Slooth?

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_ - Investigation ~ Core 2007)

Slooth: You haven't got time to mourn, Namron! Get down to the courthouse now!

Brendan: W-What are you talking about?

Slooth: The TRIAL, Brendan! You've got to be at the courthouse by nine to receive your client! The trial's at ten whether you're there or not – and if you're not, they might call HER guilty then and there!

Brendan: W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

[ 8:35 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Brendan's House – Outside ]

Slooth: What are you doing?

Brendan: Going! I don't have time to waste!

Slooth: You'll never make it in time! The courthouse is on the north side of the city!

Brendan: Don't talk like that! I have to try! Skye's on the li- Ooof!

Slooth: We're not letting you try by yourself! Pidgeot! Brendan here needs a lift! Hop on!

Brendan: Waaah!

Slooth: You know what you need to do! Go do it!

Brendan: … Right! Let's go, Pidgeot!

Brendan: W-Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

TO BE CONTINUED ….


	3. Chapter 3

[ 8:58 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Goldenrod City Courthouse – Lobby ]

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_ - Courtroom Lounge ~ New Prelude)

Skye: Brendan! Oh, thank goodness …

Skye: I got worried that you wouldn't make it ….

Brendan: (Funny she mentions that, because I almost didn't …. I really owe Slooth, big time ….)

Brendan: (That's gonna have to wait, though. Mom's dead, Skye is in danger …)

Skye: Brendan … Please, don't worry so much about me. I'll be fine …

Brendan: … Skye, I don't need to be psychic to see right through that. We're all gonna need each other to pull this off.

Skye: …

Brendan: Skye …. I know it hurts …. Maybe it hurts you more than it hurts me, even.

Skye: …

Brendan: But Mom … She wouldn't want us to hang our heads like this. We gotta keep trying, no matter what happens ….

Brendan: (Wally comes to mind …. He was as sick as could be in Petalburg, before he got his Ralts and they moved to Verdanturf ….)

Brendan: (And he somehow made a comeback and beat the Hoenn Pokémon League.)

Brendan: (He kept going …. even to the bitter end, he and his Pokémon – his closest friends – never stopped believing they could triumph.)

Brendan: (We have to be like Wally now … or we're all as good as done.)

Skye: ….

Brendan: Phoenix, I'm letting you out, okay?

*click* *FLASH* (Phoenix appears from his Pokéball.)

Phoenix: *sniffle*

Brendan: …. Please, guys. Try your best to hold it together. The trial's gonna start in a few minutes ….

**COURT RECORD**

_**Evidence**_  
**Attorney's Badge**: Proof of my current profession. I wear it with a little more pride nowadays.  
**Pokégear**: A really fancy "wristwatch". Recently upgraded to make it capable of translating Pokémon speech.  
**Bag**: My bag from when I was a Trainer. Has three unused Pokéballs and a Potion in it.  
**Trinket**: Lily picked this up while we were heading back through Ecruteak City. It has a curious design.  
**Lilycove Police Headquarters**: Hoenn's highest-ranking police group. Has connections with the International Police. My mom, Lily, did off-the-clock research for them.  
**International Police**: Did ongoing investigations on big criminal organizations from at least 2007 to 2008.  
**Team Galactic**: Criminal organization that ran at its peak in 2008. The International Police had an eagle eye on them. In addition to Cyrus as the boss, it had three admins: Jupiter, Saturn, and Charon; all have been arrested.  
**Skye's Testimony**: She absentmindedly handled the knife with a bare hand on the night of the murder.  
**Altered Locks**: Someone apparently picked my normal lock and took out the bolt. How they managed the latter is beyond me.  
**Bed Prints**: Four small paw prints and a larger dent were found in the dirt next to the doorstep.  
**Cat Hair**: A single hair was found on the doorstep, and several more hairs were found on the living room carpet.  
**Stabbing Note**: There were no marks on the front of Mom's body or clothes to indicate that she was stabbed more than once.

_**Profiles**_

**Brendan Namron**: (AGE: 23) Me, of course. Originally a Trainer in Hoenn, I came back to Johto to study law four years ago.  
**Lily Namron**: (AGE: 45) My mother. She and I originally lived in Johto, but we moved to Hoenn in 2007 after my father became a Gym Leader there. Did unofficial research for the Lilycove Police for about a year. Murder victim, due to a stab.  
**Phoenix**: (AGE: 5) My Torchic. Son of a Pokémon I released before I moved back to Johto.  
**Skye**: (AGE: 9) My Kirlia. Joined the forensics team the day I became a lawyer. Daughter of another Pokémon from my training days. Currently my client, accused of the murder of Lily Namron.  
**Cyrus**: A sinister man that wanted to erase the world and remake it his way. After a kid from Sinnoh stopped him, he disappeared. (image silhouetted)  
**Detective Slooth**: High-ranking detective at the Goldenrod Police Department. Always there for someone in a jam.

_**Party**_

**Phoenix **(Torchic): Lv. 14, 48 HP. 32 ATK, 27 DEF, 28 SPEED, 36 SP. ATK, 30 SP. DEF - Ember, Aerial Ace, Growl, Focus Energy

Baliff: Mr. Namron, if you please. Court is about to begin.

Brendan: Right away, sir. C'mon, guys. Let's go ….

(Music fades out.)

[ 10:00 AM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[Goldenrod City District Court – Courtroom Number 3 ]

*gallery chatter*

*gavel pounds*

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All_ - Justice For All ~ Court Begins)

Judge: Court is now in session for the trial of Kirlia Skye Namron.

Judge: Is the defense and prosecution ready to begin?

Brendan: T-The defense is ready, Your Honor.

?: ….

Judge: A-And the prosecution?

?: The prosecution …

(Music: _Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen_ - Rival Appears)

?: … is always ready, Your Honor.

Judge: … I see. Mr. Oak, is it? I hear you have quite the reputation in the Kanto region.

Oak: Please, call me Blue; it's what everyone knows me by. And yes, I have a reputation that I am quite proud of ….

Blue: … for it is something that the likes of Red could never hope to imitate!

Brendan: R-RED? The world-renowned Pokémon Trainer? (This guy means business!)

Blue: The very same. He and I were …. "rivals", you might say, in our youth.

Blue: But I have found a profession I enjoy that not even HE can best me at.

Blue: Of course, I still train Pokémon when time allows for it. I am, after all, the Viridian City Gym Leader.

**[Blue's profile added to the Court Record.]**

**Gary Oak**: (Age: 27) "Blue" is his nickname. Leader of the Viridian Gym in Kanto. Well-known in that region for his prosecuting skills.

Blue: Now, if everyone's finished gawking, I'd like to get started.

Judge: O-of course, Mr. Oak. Please make your opening statement.

Blue: Right away, Your Honor.

Blue: Slightly less than ten hours ago, the mother of our defense attorney, Lily Namron, was murdered in her son's own home.

Blue: The prosecution believes that it has sufficient evidence to show not only what happened, but that the murderer is none other than the Pokémon sitting in the defendant's chair!

(Music stops.)

Blue: Through this evidence, and the testimony of my witnesses, I intend to prove its guilt and give it the sentence it so rightly deserves.

Blue: That is my statement, Your Honor.  
Brendan: ….

Phoenix: *sniff*

Skye: *quiver*

Judge: I see. … And does the defense have an opening statement?

Brendan: …. Yes, Your Honor.

Judge: Please deliver it, then.

Brendan: … The defense, as well as the defendant, is deeply upset over this crime, and would like to ask the courtroom to step lightly.

Brendan: Nonetheless, the defense feels it has found enough evidence to counter any claims that the prosecution may make.

Phoenix: I hope so ….

Judge: *nods* We shall see. Mr. Oak, you may begin.

Oak: With pleasure.

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney –_ Logic and Trick)

Oak: At approximately 7:00 PM on July 21st, Lily Namron checked into the Goldenrod Shoreline Hotel.

Oak: Four days later, on July 25th, Mrs. Namron was seen in the streets of Goldenrod City, talking to her son and his two Pokémon, at approximately 4:50 PM.

Oak: At some point in time after this, the four of them departed for Mr. Namron's residence.

Oak: At approximately 5:30 PM, the defendant was seen in the victim's hotel room, going through some paperwork that she had brought with her.

Oak: It is the prosecution's belief that these papers had something to do with the murder, though it is unclear what these papers contained.

Brendan: (! That- that's ridiculous! He's trying to bias the courtroom!)

Oak: Before the hotel staff could act, the Pokémon had departed, taking all of Mrs. Namron's belongings with it. It is unclear where the papers themselves are now, though the prosecution believes that the defendant disposed of them.

Brendan: (You evil, evil man ….. Skye would never do such a thing …. Mom simply put them away somewhere …. )

Brendan: (…. I hope.)

Oak: Returning to the crime scene, it is a widely known fact that the defendant keeps assorted weapons in a bedroom, where it examines them to assist the Goldenrod police's forensics team with cases.

Oak: In fact, it appears that many citizens of Goldenrod know this Kirlia as "Detective Skye".

Oak: However, when the eventual victim began to settle into her son's home, our defendant's thoughts turned to murderous intent!

**OBJECTION****!**

Brendan: I've heard enough, Blue! Show me your proof!

Blue: *tsk, tsk, tsk motion* Have some patience, Mr. Namron. I was just about to get to it.

Blue: Let's start with the murder weapon: this knife.

Brendan: (Figures he'd start with that ….)

Blue: This knife has the defendant's (tiny) fingerprints scattered across the handle. This indicates that it is the knife it was examining for the forensics team!

Blue: Furthermore, as a "detective", the defendant should know that evidence must always be handled with care and never touched by bare hands unless it has been thoroughly examined. The only reason it would have touched this knife is if it had intent to use it for something!

**OBJECTION****!**

Brendan: Anyone can make a mistake! Skye just touched it absentmindedly!

Brendan: Furthermore, it's simply not plausible for Skye to have been the murder! She doesn't have the physical strength to stab someone like that!

Blue: Good choice of words, Mr. Namron. Yes, your Kirlia doesn't have the physical strength to do the deed,

Blue: but it DOES have the mental strength! It used its psychic abilities to hover the knife over the victim and plunge it into her heart!

Brendan: (I should have known he'd say that. I need another approach.)

**Motive**

**Method**

**Other Evidence**

_Motive_

Brendan: It's a pretty decent theory, Mr. Oak, that much I'll admit. But there's a problem.

Blue: Oh? And what would that be?

Brendan: You haven't proved my client's motive.

Blue: ….

Brendan: Care to explain this gap?

Blue: … I cannot at this time.

Brendan: (I thought so. Now to pull out some evidence and shoot him down like the-)

Blue: However, it will only take the testimony of my witnesses to reveal the motive for murder.

Brendan: … (Drat. Now what?)

Brendan: Fair enough, Mr. Oak. But I can still see other problems.

(Continue with either _Method _or _Other Evidence_, player's option.)

_Method_

Brendan: Mr. Oak, your theory admittedly makes some sense,

Brendan: but there's a major hole in it that does not explain the evidence!

Blue: Is that so?

Brendan: Indeed it is. The method you claim my client used leaves us with many questions!

Brendan: (The evidence I'm thinking of … it's a very curious piece, and it caught my attention quickly this morning ...)

Brendan: (Admittedly, no one except one like Skye could have done it, but Skye would have zero reason to cause it …)

Brendan: (This could be the key to start unlocking the mystery.)

Blue: What is it, then, Mr. Namron? What is your evidence that reveals the "hole" in my explanation?

**{Health risk: 10%}**

_Present the Altered Locks and proceed to the TAKE THAT under "Other Evidence"._

_Other Evidence_

Brendan: (There's a certain piece of evidence I found that suggests that something happened; something which, if Blue's theory were correct, would not be like that. It's pretty hard to miss, too. ...)

Brendan: (Only one like Skye could have done it, but Skye would have zero reason to cause it ...)

Brendan: Mr. Oak, I have evidence that strongly suggests that your theory is wrong!

Blue: Is that so? Well, then, show me! Why is my "theory" so implausible to you?

**{Health risk: 10%}**

_Present Altered Locks_

**TAKE THAT****!**

Brendan: Mr. Oak –

Blue: Call me Blue, Mr. Namron. It's much more direct.

Brendan: (Excuse me?) Fine, then …. Blue, take a look at this photo of my front door, taken this morning.

Blue: What's so strange about it?

Brendan: Isn't it obvious?

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All _- Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2002)

Brendan: The bolt on the deadbolt is missing!

Blue: W-What?

Brendan: You seem to know so much about the crime's background, Mr. Oak. I thought you'd have already known about it.

Brendan: But anyway, my point is:

Brendan: Why would my client have destroyed the deadbolt when she lives in my house?

Blue: ….

Brendan: (Alright, looks like I have him! Now if I can just pick apart the other problems, we'll be in the clear!)

(Music fades.)

Blue: Mr. Namron … I should think it's obvious.

Brendan: ?

Blue: Your client simply faked an elaborate scene in order to cast doubt on its suspicion!

Brendan: (Gaah! He didn't even flinch!)

Blue: Need any more convincing, Mr. Namron? Or are you still unwilling to accept the truth?

Brendan: … I stand by my belief that what you have said is not the whole truth!

Blue: I see. Then let me employ a few means to show you that it is. Bailiff! Bring in my first witness!

(fade out and back in)

Blue: Witness, your name and occupation, please.

?: Certainly.

(Music: _Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver_ - Ecruteak Theater)

?: I am one of the former Kimono Girls of Ecruteak City. My name is Kuni.

Kuni: We stepped aside from the dance theater a few years ago. I work for the hotel and provide new decorations. I also dance for their shows with my Vaporeon.

Blue: Thank you, witness. You understand the reason that you're here, correct?

Kuni: That is correct.

Blue: Describe for us, then, what you witnessed regarding the defendant.

Kuni: Yes, sir.

**[Kuni's Profile added to the Court Record.]**

**Kuni**: Former Kimono Girl. Works at the Goldenrod Shoreline Hotel. Claims to have witnessed Skye invading Mom's hotel room.

**CROSS EXAMINATION**

**What I Witnessed**

(Music: _Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney_ - Cross Examination ~ Moderate 2001)

Kuni:

**Part 1**: I was taking a walk through the hotel, trying to come up with new ideas for décor.

**Part 2**: All of a sudden, I heard a loud bump.

**Part 3**: I opened the door that the sound appeared to come from,

**Part 4**: And there I saw the Kirlia, climbing in through the window.

**Part 5**: I stood there and watched her for a long time before alerting the others in the hotel.

**Part 6**: I am sorry to the lawyer with the defendant, but she was definitely looking through the papers.

(Music pauses.)  
Judge: So, then, you witnessed the defendant as it rummaged through the papers?

Kuni: That is correct, Your Honor. She appeared to be flustered as she did so.

Judge: I see. This clearly indicates that the defendant did not like what it saw.

Brendan: (She didn't, I'll give him that. But it wasn't the contents of the papers. It was the organization of them.)

Brendan: (But I'll worry about proving that later. Right now I need to find a way to show them what I know to be false.)

Judge: Mr. Namron, you may begin your cross examination.

(Music resumes.)

_Press Part 1 (I was taking a walk through the hotel, trying to come up with new ideas for décor.)_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: Do you do this very often?

Kuni: All of the time. It is what I am good at, imagining new decorations and creating them for the hotel.

Brendan: (You're good at imagining, I'll grant you that one.)

Kuni: But yesterday, something unexpected happened while I was doing so.

_Press Part 2 (All of a sudden, I heard a loud bump.)_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: When and from where would you say this bump was from?

Kuni: I believe it was exactly 5:25 PM.

Brendan: (5:25? I get the feeling that that's a tad off.)

Brendan: (There's nothing I can do about it right now, though.)

Kuni: In answer to the second part of your question, I am quite certain that the sound came from room thirteen.)

Brendan: (No contradiction there.)

Blue: …

Brendan: Thank you, witness. Please continue.

_Press Part 3 (I opened the door that the sound appeared to come from,)_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: Would you say you opened the door immediately, or did you hesitate?

Kuni: ….

Brendan: *desk slam* Witness, please refrain from questionable silence! Did you or did you not open the door right away?  
OBJECTION!

Blue: It doesn't matter, Mr. Namron. The defendant didn't go anywhere!

Kuni: …. Yes, sir. I did, in fact, hesitate for about three minutes.

Blue: Witness, that is enough. Please get back to your testimony.

Kuni: … I am sorry, Mr. Oak, but I cannot leave this courtroom with doubts about my testimony.

Blue: ….

Brendan: Thank you, witness. Did you … hear anything else during this time?

Kuni: … I am not sure. I think I heard another bump.

Brendan: Another bump? Was it from room 13?

Kuni: Assuming I was not hearing things, then the answer is yes.

Brendan: … Thanks. Please return to your testimony.

Kuni: Yes, sir.

_Press Part 4 (And there I saw the Kirlia, climbing in through the window.)_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: Are you absolutely certain that it was my client that you saw?

Kuni: …..

Brendan: Witness, please. This could be very important.

Kuni: …. I … have my doubts. I thought that it could be none but the defendant, but ….

Kuni: The intruder might have been taller than Kirlia.

Brendan: !

Blue: W-Why is this, witness? Why couldn't you tell who the person at the window was?

Kuni: …. Because the lights in the room were off.

OBJECTION!

Blue: Such a pathetic excuse, witness. It was 5:30! There was still enough daylight to see!

Kuni: ….

Blue: Your Honor! Please strike all that the witness just said from the record!

Blue: She is clearly trying to confuse the court and introduce the idea of a false intruder!

Judge: The court acknowledges Mr. Oak's request. …. If, that is, the defense has no objections.

Brendan: (Aw, crap. Was what Kuni said important?)

**It's not important**

**It's very important**

_It's very important_

**OBJECTION****!**

Brendan: Your Honor, the defense believes that this witness may not be lying about this!

Brendan: I request that what she said be added to the testimony!

Brendan: (I still doubt it would make a difference whether she's sure or not. The problem is how they got in, right ….?)

Judge: …. Request granted, Mr. Namron.

**TESTIMONY UPDATED (Part 4)**

Kuni:

**Part 1**: I was taking a walk through the hotel, trying to come up with new ideas for décor.

**Part 2**: All of a sudden, I heard a loud bump.

**Part 3**: I opened the door that the sound appeared to come from,

**Part 4**: And there I saw someone, climbing in through the window, though I could not tell who it was.

**Part 5**: I stood there and watched her for a long time before alerting the others in the hotel.

**Part 6**: I am sorry to the lawyer with the defendant, but she was definitely looking through the papers.

_Press Part 4 again_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: Witness, it REALLY helps out everyone if you could please remember the correct facts the first time.

Kuni: I ... I know. Please forgive me ...

Kuni: But ... I am still unsure about the intruder.

Kuni: They could have been anyone ... but I know I saw someone go through the window.

Brendan: (And I know that that didn't happen with Skye. Here, I'll show her to you ...)

**Recap**:

Brendan: This testimony looks pretty solid on the surface,

Brendan: but I think Kuni's forgotten a piece of common knowledge.

Phoenix: "Common knowledge"? Are you talking about the fact that Skye –

Brendan: Yup. It's not written in the Court Record, but I can still jog her memory with something from it.

_Present Skye's Profile to Part 4_

**OBJECTION****! **(Music stops.)

Brendan: Kuni, what do you know about Skye's species?

Kuni: They are … psychic, are they not?

Brendan: Indeed they are. And what are psychics capable of that we humans are not?

Kuni: They ….. They can …...

Blue: ("oh crap" expression) They can teleport!

(Music: _Apollo Justice – Ace Attorney_ - Announce the Truth 2007)

Kuni: T- That's right! Sir Lawyer, are you saying …. ?

Brendan: I think you know exactly what I'm saying. Why would my client have any reason to use the window? She can teleport directly into and out of the room!

OBJECTION!

Blue: But do you know if it DID?

**OBJECTION****!**

Brendan: Skye teleported to the hotel room at 5:28 last night at the victim's request! I am an eyewitness of said request!

Blue: W- What?

Brendan: Furthermore, she returned in about five minutes with the victim's belongings in my guest bedroom. She made a comment about how messy the papers were when she got there!

OBJECTION!

Blue: Very inventive, Mr. Namron, on both its part and yours. Of course it would claim that it found the papers in a mess!

Brendan: But what if she DID? Where does that leave us, hmmm?

Judge: That would leave us with doubt on her motivation for murder,

Judge: as well as introduce the possibility of another suspect!

Brendan: Exactly, Your Honor. So, Blue, what do you say? If my theory is wrong, you have nothing to worry about.

Blue: And if your theory is right …. ?

Brendan: Well …. that is for His Honor to decide.

Judge: Mr. Oak, the defense is correct.

Judge: If Mr. Namron's possibility proves to be incorrect, then your case thus far will stand.

Judge: If, however, it IS correct, then your case could fracture completely.

Judge: While the defendant would still be a suspect, a lack of motivation would weaken your arguments.

Brendan: So, Blue, are you up to the challenge?

(Music fades out.)

Blue: ….

Brendan: (Come on …. this just HAS to work ….)

Blue: ….. Fine.

Blue: We'll pour our time on your guessing game.

Brendan: ( I- I did it! We have a chance to turn this aro-)

Blue: … On one condition.

(Music: _Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney_ – Suspense)

Blue: I will allow my witness to testify only one more time on this matter.

Blue: Furthermore, I propose that any useless pressing should warrant a penalty.

**[HEALTH RISK: 10%]**

Blue: Is this agreeable, Your Honor?

Judge: *nods* Indeed. This court does not wish to waste time on guesswork.

Judge: Mr. Namron, you heard the man. Approach with caution.

Judge: Witness, are you prepared to testify?

Kuni: Yes, Your Honor. I have been thinking about what happened while you all were talking.

Kuni: And … I do think that I have pieced together new information.

Kuni: Please, let us begin.

**CROSS EXAMINATION**

**What Actually Happened**

(Music: _Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney_ - Cross Examination ~ Allegro 2001)

Kuni:

**Part 1**: At 5:25 PM yesterday, I heard a noise from Room 13 at the hotel.

**Part 2**: I stood in place for three minutes before opening the door.

**Part 3**: I saw a figure climbing through the window.

**Part 4**: I closed the door and hid for two minutes, then checked again.

**Part 5**: When I looked in the room, I saw the Kirlia picking up the papers.

_Pressing parts 1, 2, and 3 net relatively generic responses (recaps, mainly) and a promised penalty._

_Press Part 4 (I closed the door and hid for two minutes, then checked again.)_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: Kuni, you changed your statement. Earlier, you said that you stood there and watched for several minutes!

Kuni: I am sorry, sir …. The good prosecutor requested that I say it to simplify matters.

Blue: L-Leave me out of this!

Kuni: I just now gave it more consideration and decided that it was important after all.

Judge: That's very kind of you, witness. Now please, continue with your testimony.

Brendan: (….. Huh? No mention of lying? Threats from the prosecutor? Perjury? Anything?)

Brendan: (…. Some judge.)

_Press Part 5 (When I looked in the room, I saw the Kirlia picking up the papers.)_

**HOLD IT****!**

Brendan: And after that, you went to get security, right?

Kuni: I did. But when we returned to the room, the room was empty. Kirlia and Mrs. Namron's belongings were gone.

Brendan: (Hmmmm ... I'm drifting into old territory.) Kuni, let's talk about before that. I want to know …

**Did you notice the papers before?**

**Did the intruder see you?**

**Did anyone else go in?**

_Did anyone else go in?_

Brendan: Kuni, did anyone else enter the room before you discovered that the intruder had left?

Kuni: …. No. I am certain of it.

Kuni: The room was not occupied by any hotel staff during that time.

Brendan: I see. Was anything suspicious reported by any guards during that time?

OBJECTION!

Blue: Guard reports do not matter, Mr. Namron. In this scenario, the defendant teleported into and out of the room.

**OBJECTION****!**

Brendan: But our mystery person went in and out through a window! It is possible that they went into a guard's line of sight!

Blue: Fine, fine …. Witness, do you know the answer to the defense's question?

Kuni: I did not hear of any suspicious activity from the guards.

Brendan: None at all?

Kuni: That is correct.

Brendan: …...

Skye: (Master … Keep trying.)

**Recap**:

Brendan: (This is quite the tricky testimony. I know I NEED to press her, I'm just not sure where ….)

Brendan: (Her testimony is pretty solid-looking to boot. If I can't find something that breaks Blue's case, we're done for.)

Brendan: (I wonder if those papers Mom had play a big part in this …. ?)

_More results for pressing Part 5._

_Did the intruder see you?_

Brendan: Did you happen to notice if the intruder noticed that they had been spotted?

Kuni: I am unsure. We did not make eye contact.

Brendan: But the intruder fled, right? Why else would they leave?

Kuni: …. I do not know.

Brendan: (If I have the times right, the mystery intruder escaped only a minute before Kirlia arrived?)

Brendan: (Was it coincidence that they left at that time?)

Skye: (Master … Keep trying.)

_Did you notice the papers before?_

Brendan: Did you, by any chance, notice the papers at any time before this incident?

Kuni: …..

Blue: …. A poor attempt, Namron. Perhaps you should try another approach? It might help you waste more time on this silly pursuit of incorrect theories.

Brendan: (…. You're gonna have to do better than that, Blue!) Please, witness! Try to remember! Did you or did you not see the papers?

Kuni: ….. Yes, actually. I did see them.

Brendan: (Excellent! All we need now is – )

Kuni: However, I last saw them on the second day of Mrs. Namron's stay. They were lying on her bed in a tidy stack, and I was able to read the first page. Out of curiosity, I glanced at it.

Brendan: (So, what's the problem?)

Kuni: …. However, I do not recall what that page described.

Brendan: Aw, no!

Blue: Are you done, Mr. Namron? I would like to move on.  
Brendan: (Not on your life! …. But what do I do?)

Phoenix: Brendan! Think, fast!

Brendan: Thinking!

Phoenix: Brendan, I have an idea. Maybe …. just maybe, we already know what it is!

Brendan: ?

Phoenix: Look at the evidence, Brendan! You already know what your mother –

Brendan: – did … research … on …. What if …. what if ….

Brendan: *desk slam* Your Honor! I request that what the witness just said be added to the testimony!

Brendan: This is crucial evidence!

Judge: I can tell by your tone that you are completely serious. Request granted, Mr. Namron.

Brendan: Thank you, Your Honor. (Thank you, Mom!)

**TESTIMONY UPDATED (New part: number 6)**

Kuni:

**Part 1**: At 5:25 PM yesterday, I heard a noise from Room 13 at the hotel.

**Part 2**: I stood in place for three minutes before opening the door.

**Part 3**: I saw a figure climbing through the window.

**Part 4**: I closed the door and hid for two minutes, then checked again.

**Part 5**:When I looked in the room, I saw the Kirlia picking up the papers.

**Part 6**: I saw one of those papers two days prior, but I forget what it said.

_Present Team Galactic or Cyrus to Part 6_.

**OBJECTION****! **(Music stops.)

Brendan: Kuni …. You may not remember what my mother's papers were about,

Brendan: and I may not know for certain what information they contained,

Brendan: but I think I DO know one thing.

(Music: _Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney_ - Pursuit ~ Cornered (variation))

Brendan: Those papers, more likely than anything else, were documents on a criminal organization called Team Galactic!

Blue: …. Point and proof, please, Mr. Namron. You are NOTHING in a courtroom without them!

Kuni: …. Mr. Oak, Mr. Namron is correct.

Kuni: The title on the first page was "The Pursuit of Cyrus and Team Galactic"!

Blue: ….. Wha …. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

*gallery chatter*

*gavel pounds once*

Judge: Order! Order in the court! Mr. Namron, what does this mean?

Brendan: Your Honor, if I may personally testify ….

Brendan: My client has been with me for virtually her entire life.

Brendan: Not once has she ever been told of – or had reason to harbor ill will against – Team Galactic!

Brendan: And what Kuni said reveals that it's the truth! None of use ever mentioned Cyrus, who was the boss of Team Galactic, but she remembered the name from the paper! That's proof she saw it and that she's not taking sides!

*loud gallery chatter*

*gavel pounds three times*

Judge: Order! ORRRRRDERRRRRRRRR! ORDER IN MY COURTROOM! Mr. Oak! Do you have a response to this discovery?

Blue: …... Nnngh …..

Brendan: Are you ready to call it a day, Blue? Face it. My client's motive for murder is next to nothing! Time to pull back!

Blue: ….. Heh, heh, heh ….

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney_ – Suspense)

Blue: You are the most pathetic lawyer I have ever met, Brendan Namron.

Blue: Even your father could have come up with something better.

Brendan: (My father …. ? He knows my father?)

Brendan: (W-Wait a minute! What's he getting at? What did I do wrong?)

Blue: And you, Your Honor …..

Blue: I hate to say this, but you bend a bit too easily.

Judge: H-Hey! I resemble that remark!

Blue: "Resent", Your Honor. My point is, you almost fell for Mr. Namron's pathetic trap.

Brendan: W-What trap? I didn't –

Blue: Don't lie to us, Nimrod! You just made up the "fact" that your client has never heard of this "Team Galactic"!

Blue: A lawyer lying on the bench is the most despicable thing of all! I need PROOF!

Brendan: B-But it's true! I swear on my life it's true!

Blue: WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU TWO MINUTES AGO? The courtroom accepts only evidence! Nothing but evidence! Do you understand me?

Skye: (H-He's mad! Brendan, do something …. Please …) *sob*

Phoenix: S-Skye! Are you okay? Don't cry, please …. Brendan, do something!

Brendan: (There's nothing I can do, Skye! There's no proof that you wouldn't know about Team Galactic if they can't take my word for it!)

Skye: (Y-Yes there is! When was I born? Tell them when I was born!)

Brendan: !

Brendan: Y-Your Honor! I can still prove that her motive is basically nothing!

Judge: Is that so, Mr.-

Blue: Really, Mr. Namron? Then please, don't keep use waiting!

Blue: Show us evidence that proves that that Pokémon would not have known about Team Galactic!

_Present Skye's Profile_

**TAKE THAT****!**

Brendan: Your Honor, Mr. Oak …. please take a look at my client's citizenship statistics.

Brendan: On this page, you will find that my client, Skye Namron, was born in September 2008!

Blue: …. Yes, and?

Blue: This birthyear is not enough, Mr. Namron.

Brendan: (He's calming down …. but what more does he want?)

Blue: Why is the year 2008 significant, Mr. Namron? Go on, I'm listening.

_Present Lilycove Police Headquarters, International Police, or Team Galactic._

**TAKE THAT****!**

Brendan: Mr. Oak, my moth- the victim was involved in some unofficial research for the Lilycove Police Headquarters, starting in 2007, when we first moved to Hoenn.

Brendan: Their focus was, and had been, on criminal organizations, including Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, and Team Galactic.

Brendan: But when Team Galactic, like the others, was officially taken down, both Lily and the Lilycove Police stopped investigating them!

Brendan: And the thing is, investigations ended in June 2008!

Blue: (flinches) You're kidding!

Brendan: And, as any good trainer knows, a newborn Pokémon takes some time to learn about the world around it.

Brendan: There is no way that my client had learned about Team Galactic until a long time after their takedown, let alone before that!

Brendan: So tell me, Blue. Why would Skye form bonds with a criminal organization that didn't even exist when she was born?

Blue: …...

Brendan: (No more outbursts, whatever you do. It kills me to see Skye cry …. Please, no more outbursts …..)

Blue: …. Fine.

(Music stops.)

Blue: Maybe you're not as shabby a lawyer as I thought, Mr. Namron.

Blue: But …. we have only solved half of the puzzle.

Brendan: ?

Blue: I will admit, you are right. There is no reason for your client to have a liking for Team Galactic,

Blue: but that doesn't change the fact that all of the other evidence points to her as the murder!

Brendan: (…... Ugh.)

Blue: However …. in light of the proceedings today,

Blue: I have no further witnesses that I wish to call at this time.

Brendan: (Wait …. so, that means that for now, we've WON?)

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_ - Ace Attorney 4 – Trial)

Judge: It does, indeed, appear that we are stuck at a crossroads.

Judge: While the prime suspect, Ms. Skye Namron, does not appear to have a motive,

Judge: we still have reason to believe that she killed the victim.

Judge: Because of this, I have no choice but to suspend this trial for a day,

Judge: in order to allow the prosecution and defense gather more information about this crime.

Judge: If there are any objections, please speak to the court now.

*silence*

Judge: Very well, then. This trial shall resume tomorrow at 10:00 AM.

Judge: Court is adjourned!

*gavel pounds*

TO BE CONTINUED ….


	4. Chapter 4

[ 2:30 PM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Detention Center ]

Skye: Brendan ….. you were brilliant in there.

Skye: I never thought to look at those papers, and there you went, proving what they said.

Brendan: Yeah, well, it's not over yet. We still need to prove you didn't actually do it.

Skye: Very true ….

Brendan: But Blue …. That was stupid of him, basing his whole case around that single incident.

Brendan: I haven't been a lawyer for three weeks and I can see that! There's no way he's been prosecuting for as long as he says ….

Skye: … Maybe he knows something we don't yet?

Brendan: I don't see how. He had almost zero time to investigate.

Skye: You saw him, though. He's the bullying type. He probably pushed the police department onto his side.

Brendan: Maybe so.

Brendan: Anyway, we need to work on solving this thing, and soon.

(Music: _Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team_ – The Legend of Ninetales)

**Options**: Talk, Move

**Talk**: What to Do, Heard Anything?, Any Ideas?

**Move**: Slooth's Office, Goldenrod City – Downtown, Brendan's House – Outside

**Talk: What to Do**

Brendan: Truth be told, I don't really know what to do first. I don't suppose you'd know?

Skye: Well ….. I'd go check out the house again.

Brendan: I scoured the place a pretty good bit this morning. Felt weird, having to pick apart my own home.

Syke: Yeah, I figured. But you know, I was thinking.

Brendan: What about?

Skye: Just because no human saw it doesn't mean that there are no witnesses.

Brendan: …. Ah! I'd better go and check! If the cops find one, they'll take him in for questioning!

Skye: Hey, don't have a heart attack! None of the police have translators like you do. They can't afford 'em.

Brendan: (They're not THAT expensive ….. how much funding does the police department GET?)

**Talk: Heard Anything?**

Skye: I haven't discovered any new information this morning. Same old stuff running around in the cops' heads …. when their coffee break is, what the trial was about, donuts ….

Brendan: …. So, a bunch of fluff, then. Where are their heads this morning?

Skye: Can't say I blame them; they've been up ever since I came in to report … everything. I think one of them knew …. knew her.

Brendan: ….

Skye: S-Sorry! Sorry. I'll try not to talk about it, okay …. ?

Brendan: … It's fine. Don't worry about it.

Skye: You know perfectly well that it's not ….

Brendan: ….

Skye: Brendan …. Her death shocked us all. But you can't mope about this, pretend it's not hurting, whether it's for my sake or you own.

Skye: I'm not the Ralts you used to know. I want to help you.

Skye: But as long as I'm in here, there's not a lot I can do. They've got an Arena Trap set, you know ….

Brendan: …. So what _can_ you do?

Skye: Collect what you can. Get people to come near here; I can check what's on their mind.

Skye: Whatever you do, please, don't give up; the way we never gave up for you.

Brendan: …... You have my word, Skye.

Brendan: (We'll find out who did this. I promise them both.) I just have one more thing I want to ask you, okay?

Skye: Ask away.

**Talk: Any ideas?**

Brendan: Truth be told, I'm not sure where I should start. Care to make a suggestion?

Skye: Hmmm …. Well, what about the docks? If the killer wanted …. you-know-who, they would have gone to Littleroot, right?

Brendan: Good point … so they knew, somehow, that she was coming here, or else found out really quickly.

Skye: Exactly. So I'd check the docks, in case the person came from overseas. Maybe they've seen someone suspicious.

Skye: And after that …. Well, I'd go around town and skim over the house again. Maybe you missed something; the police went there a little while ago.

Brendan: … Jeez, Skye. We should swap places …. You could probably finish this in half of however long I take …

Skye: Thanks, Brendan. I'd help you if I could … I want to get to the bottom of this more than anything, suspect or not.

**When Brendan begins to leave:**

Skye: Hey, um, Brendan?

Brendan: ?

Skye: You know that red trinket we found the other day? Something seems off about it.

Brendan: (I don't notice anything funny …) Alright, I'll have the cops check it out for now.

Brendan: Anyway, I'm off.

Skye: Good luck!

**Move: Brendan's House – Outside**

(Music stops.)

Brendan: I half-expected the police to be gone by now … You'd think it was a pretty cut-and-dry murder scene …...

Brendan: … Wait, bad choice of words.

?: Aha! There you are, Brendan!

Brendan: Detective Slooth?

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney_ - Dick Gumshoe ~ It's Detective Gumshoe)

Slooth: You know that request for fingerprints you made this morning? Well, we have our result-

Brendan: You do? That's great! What did you find? Whose fingerprints were they?

Slooth: Well ….. that's the thing. None of the fingerprints match any in our database!

Brendan: W- ….WHAT?

Slooth: It's the strangest thing, pal! We get a lot of visitors to this area, so we try to get prints on any new travelers on the boats ….

Brendan: But nothing matched at all? That is … pretty weird.

**[Fingerprint Info added to the Court Record.]**

**Fingerprint Info**: There were out-of-place fingerprints on my windows, but none of them matched any Johto records.

Brendan: Thanks anyway, Detective. I've got a few other questions I'd like to ask you. ….

**Options**: Talk, Move

**Talk**: Prints (Other Regions), What else have you found?

**Move**: Detention Center, Goldenrod City Downtown, Brendan's House – Back Side

**Talk: Prints**

Brendan: Detective Slooth, perhaps you could run a check on these prints against other regions' databases?

Slooth: Of course we CAN, Brendan, but it'll take a long time. And if there's no match in the other regions, we might have to search the world over, and there's no time for that.

Brendan: Please, Detective. Can you at least try?

Slooth: I suppose, pal, but I really don't know where to start.

Brendan: Kanto, then. It's the closest, and you don't need a ship to get here. After that, Hoenn, 'cause Mom traveled from there.

Sooth: Will do, pal. I'll get on it right away, unless you've got something else you want to ask.

Brendan: … Yeah, one more thing and I'll be done with 'ya.

**Talk: Trinket**

Brendan: … Detective Slooth, could you take a look at this trinket? I found it recently ….

Slooth: This little thing? Looks like a ruby if you ask me.

Brendan: Yeah, I know, but …. Skye found it in Ekruteak and its been bugging us.

Slooth: … I'm willing to look at it, but …. Do you even think it's related to the case?

Brendan: Only one way to find out, sir. Give it the full treatment.

Slooth: …. I have confidence in Skye's and your intuition, you know. So, I'll take a look.

**[Trinket given to Detective Slooth.]**

Brendan: Much appreciated, Detective.

Slooth: No trouble at all, Brendan!

**All Subjects Discussed**

Slooth: Well, I guess I need to go work on those prints and that ruby. I'll call you if I find anything that might be useful.

Slooth: Oh, and uh, I saw a Pokémon at the back. You should go check it out, I bet you can talk to it with your Pokégear.

Brendan: We'll see. Thanks for letting me know.

Slooth: Anytime, pal. See you later!

(Music fades.)

Brendan: (You gotta love Slooth. Always looking out for us.)

Brendan: (And I still bet that Blue's got the whole department on his side …. which would mean that Slooth can't let anyone know he's told me this stuff, lest he get a good talking to from the Chief of Police … or worse.)

Brendan: (Anyway, a Pokémon at the back? This might be interesting.)

**Move: Brendan's House – Back Side**

(No music.)

Brendan: (The back of my house …. It's not really in great condition.)

Brendan: (Despite the urban concrete layout, there's a lot of grass poking through the cracks. It's trying to get tall. And it's doing a good job of it.)

Brendan: (Maybe I'll get Whitney's Miltank to graze on this stuff?)

?: Um ….. heeeeello?

Brendan: Gahhhh! (Who was that? Where'd that voice come from?)

?: Aaaare …. aaree yeww the Breendeen whoo leeves heere?

Brendan: (Stay calm ….) Yes, I am. Where are you?

?: Dowwn heere.

Brendan: (…. He's ….. he's a)

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All_ - Congratulations Again, Everyone)

Spinarak: Hii theere. II'm ameezed youu can undeerstaand mee.

Brendan: (So am I! Can't you fix your accent?)

Spinarak: Iee saww what happeened yeesterday. Iee'm guesseeng eet must bee hard.

Brendan: (Who are you, Peter Lorre?) Yeah … it is. But I have to keep looking around, searching for clues. Someone was wrongly accused of the murder.

Spinarak: Ees thaat so? Iee theenk Iee saww who eet was.

Brendan: ! Y-You did? Please, tell me everything you know!

**Options**: Talk, Move

**Talk**: Whodunit

**Move**: Brendan's House – Outside

**Talk: Whodunit**

Brendan: Please, little guy, tell me everything you saw.

Spinarak: Eet was a peerson weeth lots of reed haier.

Brendan: Red hair? (Hmmmm.) Did you notice anything else?

Spinarak: Eerrrrrr ….. I theenk thee peerson had a larrge bleu-lookeeng Pokeemon.

Spinarak: Iee theenk there was alsso a beeg cat.

Brendan: (A large, blue Pokémon and a big cat? I'd better make some notes ….)

**[Spinarak's Testimony added to the Court Record.]**

**Spinarak's Testimony**: The intruder had a mass of red hair, and was followed by a large, blue-ish Pokémon and a large cat (also a Pokémon?).

Brendan: Thanks.

Spinarak: Ees no probleem.

Brendan: (Short but very informative …. I at least have an idea of who to be looking for.)

Brendan: (Guess I should hit town now …. there's nothing else to find here.)

Brendan: (Hold on, Mom. We'll avenge you yet.)

**Move: Brendan's House – Outside**

**Move: Goldenrod City – Downtown**

(No music.)

Brendan: Here I am again …. smack in the middle of Goldenrod City.

Brendan: Only this time …. I'm on a murder case.

Brendan: There's no telling who or what I'll find that might help ….

?: ….

Brendan: …. ! That guy that just walked past …..

Brendan: He has red hair! And a large blue Pokémon walking with him!

Brendan: Y-You there! Stop!

?: !

Brendan: Stay right there …. I need to speak with you.

?: … Okay, but make it quick. I was heading back to the hotel …

Brendan: Su- … Sure.

(Music: _Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver_ - Route 38)

**Options**: Talk, Move

**Talk**: Who are you?

**Move**: Detention Center, Brendan's House – Outside, Goldenrod Docks, Goldenrod Hotel

**Talk: Who are you?**

Brendan: Pardon me asking, but …. who are you, exactly?

?: …. You don't know me? I thought he told practically everyone about that one time ….

?: …. Wait, are you from around here?

Brendan: I moved here from Hoenn four years ago, to study law.

?: … I see. Let us introduce each other, then. I am known as Silver.

Silver: My friend here is Feraligatr. We go way back.

Brendan: I see. I'm Brendan. Brendan Namron.

Brendan: Usually I keep Skye and Phoenix beside me, but …

Silver: …. I see. You're not close enough to them yet.

Brendan No! It's …. well, Skye's in prison, and Phoenix needs some time alone ….

Silver: And why is that? They are your Pokémon, yes?

Brendan: …. Someone murdered my mother last night. And now Skye's in prison.

Silver: !

Feraligatr: !

Brendan: …. And now it's my turn to protect her. No matter what it takes.

Silver: …... I understand. Please accept my apologies …. I had the wrong impression of you for a minute there.

Brendan: No trouble … Anyway, I'm conducting my own little investigation.

Brendan: (This probably isn't the best approach, but …) A witness to the crime told me that whoever broke into my house had red hair and a large blue companion.

Silver: !

Brendan: Tell me …. Do you know anything about this?

Silver: …. I know nothing. I understand why you would suspect me, but I assure you, I have never been involved in such a crime.

Brendan: (I'll have to take his word for it for now …. his reaction was unreadable.) Please excuse my suspicions, but it's the only thing I can really do …. question everyone.

Silver: ….

Brendan: (… Wow, this guy knows how to keep a poker face. I can't make heads or tails of his responses.)

Brendan: (He said he was heading back to the hotel? Even if he is innocent, maybe he saw someone ….)

**Talk**: *Who are you?, The Murder, Hotel Incident

**Talk: The Murder**

Brendan: Silver, if you have the time, I think it might help the both of us if I told you about the crime …

Silver: …. You have my attention.

Brendan: Thanks. …. Last night, a little after midnight, my mom was murdered by someone, someone who I think broke into my house.

Brendan: The murder weapon was a knife that Skye was examining for the Goldenrod forensics team. It was taken from her room and had only her fingerprints on it.

Silver: … I see. You evidently trust this Skye a lot. … What species is she, may I ask?

Brendan: She's a Kirlia. Phoenix is a Torchic.

Silver: Ah. Continue, then.

Brendan: In addition to the knife, unknown fingerprints were found on my windows, and my locks have been tampered with.

Brendan: That's the gist of it so far.

Silver: …. "Unknown fingerprints," you say? They couldn't be traced to anyone?

Brendan: So it seems. They didn't match anyone in the police department's Johto database.

Silver: … You may ease your mind about me, then.

Brendan: ?

Silver: I have lived in Johto for most of my life, and I can assure you that my prints are in the database.

Brendan: …. (Guess I'd better go see for myself.)

**Talk: Hotel Incident**

Brendan: Silver, you're staying at the Goldenrod Shoreline Hotel, correct?

Sliver: Indeed, I am. Why do you ask?

Brendan: Well …. it seems that someone broke in to room thirteen yesterday at around 5:30. Did you happen to notice anything?

Silver: ….. I remember an interesting red-head with a Pokémon I have never seen before, but that's it. They were walking around the back of the hotel in an odd manner.

Brendan: (That most likely means he saw the intruder … If he's telling the truth.)

**All Subjects Discussed**

Brendan: Thanks for your time, Silver.

Silver: It was no trouble. If you have any further questions for me, Gator and I will be at the hotel.

Brendan: I'll be sure to drop by. Take care!

Brendan: (Annnnnnnnnd they're gone.)

Brendan: (…. He's lived in Johto most of his life? Why is he staying at a hotel?)

Brendan: (Bah, I'll worry about it later. I need to gather more information, and fast.)

**Move: Goldenrod Docks**

(No music.)

Brendan: Hmph …. The docks are pretty empty today. All I can hear are the sounds of the sea.

Brendan: Two or three private boats are tied up, maybe a small public one, but aside from that …. not a soul to be found.

Brendan: …. Sure feels lonely here.

(Music: _Final Fantasy VIII_ – Where I Belong)

**Options**: Examine, Move

**Examine**: Ship, Docks, Sea

**Move**: Goldenrod City – Downtown, Goldenrod Hotel

**Examine: Sea**

Brendan: I used to sail on the sea quite a lot with Mimi and the crew …. What a Milotic she was … Always ready to do whatever I asked of her ….. All of them were, really.

Brendan: I remember staring at the sea for a while with Skye and Phoenix, before we left Lilycove for the last time ….

Brendan: What I wouldn't give for more peaceful days like that …..

**Examine: Docks**

Brendan: These docks tried hard to blend into the rest of Goldenrod, but the older, wooden ones are losing their paint fast. They didn't even bother painting some of the newer ones at all, not even the hand rails.

Brendan: …. You know, I still think of Slateport when I look at these. Good ol' Captain Stern, the Hyper Rank Contests, the marketplace ….

Brendan: …. Did …. did Mom even get to see any of it? …. *sniff*

**Examine: Ship**

Brendan: I traveled to Hoenn on a ship like this, and I came back here on a fancier one ….

Brendan: I remember the ship that sailed between Slateport and Lilycove, and how it took us to the Battle Frontier for the first time. We were all really excited, and I barely even thought about whether Mom would get a kick out of it …..

Brendan: Guess I'll never know now ….

**Move: Detention Center**

[ 3:40 PM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Detention Center ]

(Music: _Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles _Edgeworth - Investigation ~ Contradiction at the Crime Scene)

Brendan: Hey there, Skye. You doing okay?

Skye: Hanging in there. Have you found anything?

Brendan: Fairly little. I know the killer had –

Skye: Red hair, a big blue Pokémon, and a cat. You learned it from a Spinarak, right?

Brendan: … Y-Yeah. Not really much to go on.

Skye: And you met some guy called Silver, right? Not your usual name, that's for sure.

Brendan: Indeed. And he had a …. what was it called?

Skye: Feraligatr?

Brendan: Yeah, that's the name. Really tall, blue Pokémon. No sign of a cat, though. He says he's lived in Johto most of his life, and that his fingerprints are here; so he supposedly can't have been the killer.

Skye: Fingerprints ….

Brendan: (She's really scanning my brain now; I can feel it …)

Brendan: (It still feels weird every now and then; like there's something thumbing through my mental files, looking for the right document to open ….)

Skye: Mmmhmm …. So you learned that there were prints on the windows and that noone in the Johto records made them?

Brendan: …. I still say you would be better as the lawyer. (It feels like she knows more than me!)

Skye: Well, I'm imprisoned right now, so …. Anyway! What about that trinket? You gave it to Slooth?

Brendan: Yeah. He thought it looked like a ruby or something.

Skye: Huh. … Anyway, so you visited the docks, right?

Brendan: Yeah, but no one was there. Three private boats were docked, I think, nothing more.

Skye: …. It's unusual, but it's happened before. So say the police, anyway.

Skye: Maybe someone will be there if you go by later. If you can, walk 'em near this place and I'll see if they know what's up.

Brendan: I'll try. In the meantime, I was heading for Slooth's office. Gonna see if Silver's telling the truth.

Skye: Let's hope so. See ya.

Brendan: (It's all well-and-good if Silver isn't lying … but then, if it's not him, then who is the murderer?)

**Auto-Move: Slooth's Office**

[ 3:47 PM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Detective Slooth's Office ]  
(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney_ - Dick Gumshoe ~ It's Detective Gumshoe)

Slooth: Woah, pal! Didn't expect you to drop by so soon!

Brendan: Yeah, I didn't think you would …. I'm not finding much that's solid.

Brendan: Listen, have you gotten a match yet on those prints?

Slooth: What? Have some patience, pal! It takes time to search through a remote database!

Slooth: …. But, we don't have anything from Kanto so far. It's not looking like the killer's from there.

Brendan: Alright, that's one place down ... Detective, when you get done with them, could you check the database for this guy called Silver?

Slooth: Silver?

Brendan: Yeah. Red hair, partnered with a Feraligatr.

Slooth: Oh, HIM! No need to worry, pal! We've got his prints. He's lived in Johto for a long time.

Slooth: He used to have a crime record a long time ago, but he's long over that. I'll bet my badge he's not involved in this case.

Brendan: (Guess that rules him out after all.) Fair enough. How about that trinket-thing?

Slooth: That ruby? Almost nothing came up in a preliminary scan. An unideintified fingerprint, that's all.

Brendan: … So we have no idea whose this is?

Slooth: Effectively. So, you need anything else?

Brendan: …. Yeah, I believe there is one more thing that could use a looking at.

_Present Cat Hair_

Brendan: Detective, would you mind running a test on this on one of the other computers?

Slooth: This hair? No problem, pal! I can have a full examination done on it in four hours!

Brendan: FOUR HOURS? For a single hair?

Slooth: Hey, these things take time, okay?

Brendan: Not that long. Didn't Skye run a test on another hair last month? She got results in, what, ten minutes?

Slooth: ….. Well, the server's working overtime right now. All of our office computers are dumb terminals, you see …..

Brendan: …... (You've GOT to be kidding me.) Fine, Detective. Just – please, run this and tell me what you've got when I come back, okay? I'd really appreciate it.

Slooth: …. You have my word, pal. I'll get on this right away.

Slooth: But ….. don't tell Prosecutor Oak I'm doing this …. or anyone else.

Brendan: (…. I knew it.) You can trust me, Detective.

**Brendan turns to leave.**

Slooth: Oh, and Brendan.

Brendan: Yes, Detective?

Slooth: ... They really want you to win this one now. They ... they miss Skye. Say they were wrong about her, that she's the best the force has ever seen.

Brendan: ...

Slooth: Hey! What are you grinning like that for? It's not even you who I was talking about!

Brendan: ! I- er- sorry. I'll be going now.

Slooth: Good luck, Brendan!

**Auto-Move: Detention Center**

[ 3:58 PM – July 26th, 2017 ]

[ Detention Center ]

(Music: _OverclockedRemix_ - Super Metroid – Lonely Petals by DrumUltimA)

Skye: …. *sniff* So … that's the truth?

Brendan: (… Of course … She read my mind … and heard what Slooth said right before I left …)

Skye: … After a whole month of ridicule and rejection there … they finally see ….

Skye: All I wanted to do was help them, and it takes imprisonment for them to realize!

Skye: Those … jerks ….

Brendan: (Skye …. Why didn't you ever say anything? What did they even say to you?)

Skye: It wasn't your business. You had enough on your mind already.

Skye: "Look at that psychic … it thinks it's so mighty. It just wants to show us all up!"

Skye: Only when I'm absent do they realize it … how much they liked having me, how much help I gave them ….

Skye: They were too blind to look past the surface …. Just because I'm a Pokémon.

Brendan: …. I don't know what to tell you, Skye. … I've always got time for you and Phoenix.

Brendan: But … you've got to tell me what's going on.

Skye: ….

Brendan: … Look. Don't try to hide your problems just because you think I'm too busy or I won't understand ….

Brendan: When I talked, you listened. Don't forget, we're equals.

Skye: …..

Brendan: ... When this is over, we'll go have a talk with the team about their attitude. Okay?

Skye: …. Thank you, Brendan. *warm smile*

(Music: _OverclockedRemix_ – Metroid Prime 3 Yellow Valkyrie by DarkeSword)

Skye: …. So, about the case … Slooth said it can't have been Silver, right?

Brendan: More or less. And our killer's probably not from Kanto.

Skye: Argh … we're running out of suspects. Isn't there anyone else around here that could fit the -

Brendan: .. Fit the bill? …. Skye, what's up?

Skye: I think I sensed something …. No, some_one_, moving quickly through the city.

Brendan: Maybe just someone rushing to catch the train?

Skye: …. No, they're not heading for the train.  
Skye: Brendan! Get to downtown at once! I think it's Blue!

Brendan: Right away!

**Move: Goldenrod City – Downtown**

[ 4:09 PM – July 26th, 2017 ]

(Music continues.)

Brendan: (Okay, I'm out on the main walkways, and I don't see anyone that sta- WOAH!)

Brendan: (Who in the world was that that blew past me on that Arcanine?)

Brendan: (… It _was_ Blue! Where's he off to in such a hurry?)

Brendan: (He just turned …. That's the path to the docks.)

Brendan: (Given that he should be working on the case, maybe I should follow him …. ?)

**Auto-Move: Goldenrod Docks**

(Music fades out.)

Brendan: *huff* *puff*

Brendan: (It's times like this … when I wish I hadn't released Swellow …) *gasp*

Brendan: (Gary's on one of the docks, and he's talking to some woman. Arcanine's on the concrete nearby … And that woman has a VERY fat cat beside her.)  
Brendan: (Why do I have the feeling that none of this bodes well?)

(Music: _Final Fantasy VIII_ – Martial Law)

Blue: You're not going to get away that easily.

?: Watch me.

(WHACK!)

Brendan: (Woah! Gary cut her off with ease.)

Blue: You will listen to me. One way or another, you will not get away.

Blue: I need those papers. They're vital evidence.

?: Sorry, bud. You're not getting them. For the last time, they have nothing to do with this murder.

?: I'm going home. This vacation was horrible.

Blue: Sorry, Melissa, but I can't let you go. Not yet.

Melissa: W-What?

Blue: I not only need those papers … I need your testimony, spoken for the court.

Melissa: N-No way! I have nothing to do with this case, I swear!

Blue: Then you won't mind me questioning you for a while. If you really aren't involved, nothing will come of it, and you can go home worry-free.

Melissa: B-But … It's a complete waste of time! There's nothing that connects me to this case!

Blue: Quite the contrary, Melissa. Those papers you hold connect you, so long as you cling to them.

Melissa: …..

Blue: So, will you agree to partake?

Melissa: ….. Purr, attack this jackal!

Purr: MROWL! Fffffft!

Blue: Is that all you've got? Arcanine, we mean business. Show them.

Melissa: W-Wait! You're challenging me? I never –

Blue: If that's what it comes to, then yes; I will fight you until you surrender.

Blue: I'll even make you a deal: If I win, you come with me and do as I ask for the next 24 to 48 hours, including giving me those papers. I may even call you as a witness.

Blue: If you win, you board your precious boat and we'll forget this ever happened.

Melissa: And if I refuse?

Blue: Then I will have you arrested, on the charge of obstruction of justice.

Melissa: W-What? Y-You can't do that! I've got to get home! I have a FAMILY the –

Blue: Don't lie to me. You have no family left.

Melissa: …. Fine. I accept. But …. let's take it away from these docks.

Blue: Fair enough. Let's go.

Brendan: (They're coming towards me …..)

Blue: …. Ah, if it isn't the defense lawyer? Come to eavesdrop on my witness?

Brendan: …...

Blue: Ah, no matter. You didn't hear anything important. Smell ya later, Nimrod.

Brendan: (W-What? Say that again, chump!)

Brendan: (Why …. why is he like this? It's like he's determined to beat me …. )

Brendan: (And who WAS that, anyway? Red hair, some fat cat Pokémon, and she really wanted to leave, and she had some sort of pape-)

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney_ – Suspense)

Brendan: (Oh no … N-No way! That person fit most of the description of the murderer!)

Brendan: (She has red hair, a fat cat, she's clearly not from around here ….)

Brendan: (She claimed to be on vacation, too.)

Brendan: (I need to find out more about this Melissa, and fast!)

**Move: Goldenrod Hotel**

(Music: _Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth_ – Investigation ~ Core 2009)

Brendan: (I'm in the lobby …. there's gotta be someone who can give me information I need.)

Brendan: (That must be the clerk over there.) E-Excuse me, ma'am.

Clerk: Ah, good afternoon, sir. I am Lisa. How may I help you today?

Brendan: Ma'am, I am a defense attorney, and I am looking for information on an individual who I believed stayed at this hotel.

Lisa: Well, sir, if you know the details about this person, I can certainly give you a little information.

Brendan: Her first name is Melissa. She walks around with some fat cat Pokémon.

Lisa: Melissa, you say? Do you know her last name?

Brendan: No, but …. Listen, this is important. Please, isn't there a Melissa in your records that checked in or out recently?

Lisa: ….

Brendan: (Arrrgh! I'm so close! I can feel it! But their policies are getting in the way!)

Lisa: You really need data on her, I take it?

Lisa: I'll tell you what. I think I know who you want, but I can't just talk about her to any stranger, lawyer or not.

Lisa: So I'll give you a chance. If you can show me proof that you know who you're looking for, I'll give you some details.

Brendan: … Thank you. Give me a second, please.

Brendan: (I have very little in the way of concrete evidence, but I think I can still prove it.)

Brendan: (All I have to do is show her that who I'm looking for isn't from around here!)

_Present Fingerprint Info_

Brendan: Ma'am, have you heard about the murder last night, and this morning's trial?

Lisa: I … I have heard about it. Just a little.

Brendan: Allow me to explain this, then. These fingerprints were lifted from the windows on my house early this morning.

Brendan: Scans so far have failed to match them to anyone in Johto or Kanto.

Brendan: And it seems very likely that whoever left these prints is the true murderer.

Lisa: S- … So …. that means-

Brendan: Yes, ma'am. The murderer came from an overseas region.

Brendan: And I have reason to believe that this Melissa is that very murderer.

Lisa: …... I understand. Please hold while I pull up Melissa Surre's records.

Brendan: (…. Wow. That was almost too easy.)

Lisa: ….. Ah, here we are. Ms. Surre checked into the hotel on July 22nd, at about 2:00 PM. She checked out yesterday, at 6:00 PM.

Brendan: I see. Do you know what those Pokémon that she carries are? I know she walks around with a fat cat, and a witness said she carries a large, blue Pokémon.

Lisa: … I do believe I have seen travelers come in with those species before. The fat cat is called a Purugly, native to the Sinnoh region.

Brendan: ("Ugly" is right, that's for sure.)

Lisa: And the big blue one …. I spotted her with it once, when she was heading out for a walk. Looks like a giant, ancient bell; I believe it's called a Bronzong. It's also native to Sinnoh.

Brendan: So a Purugly and a Bronzong are her partners?

Lisa: Yes.

Brendan: … Thank you for your time. I think that's all I need.

Lisa: You're welcome. Please, stop by again anytime you need a cozy place to stay.

Brendan: (Well, they've got friendly staff, at least.)

Brendan: (Time to write some of this down.)

**[Hotel Record added to the Court Record.]**

**Hotel Record**: Melissa checked in on July 22nd at 2 PM and checked out on July 25th at 6 PM.

**[Melissa Surre's profile added to the Court Record.]**

**Melissa Surre**: Possibly the murderer? Red hair, partners with a Purugly and a Bronzong.

Brendan: (Not much left to this, I think … Melissa's the best suspect I have.)

Brendan: (Let's go see if Slooth's got a result on the prints yet …)

**Move: Goldenrod City – Downtown**

**Move: Detention Center**

**Move: Slooth's Office**

[ 5:12 PM, July 26th, 2017 ]

(No music.)

Brendan: Detective Slooth!

Slooth: Woah! Don't startle me like that, Brendan! What's the rush?

Brendan: I need you to look up a person called Melissa Surre! As quickly as possible!

Slooth: I can look her up now, if you want me to call off the fingerprint search.

Brendan: Do it. The sooner we check this, the better.

Slooth: Alright, stopping the process ….. Any idea which region to look in, or is she from further off?

Brendan: …. Sinnoh. She carries two Pokemon native to the region, so that's probably where she lives.

Slooth: Alright. Searching.

…...

...

…...

Slooth: Got her. An exact match.

Brendan: What does it say?

Slooth: Well, its got her fingerprint on record. I can run a quick scan against it.

Brendan: Have it run that with the window prints, then. Anything else?

Slooth: Says here that she has a criminal record.

Brendan: !

Slooth: Let's look at the details ….

Slooth: …...

Brendan: …...

Slooth: …... ! No. No way.

Brendan: What? What is it?

Slooth: Brendan …. you're sure that this person is the murderer?

Brendan: She's my best lead. I'm won't let up unless she proves herself innocent.

Slooth: Glad we agree, then. Come look at this.

…...

.net/media/upload/3/3d/Mars_

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All_ – Investigation ~ Core 2002)

Brendan: W-What in the –?

Slooth: Melissa led a life of crime many years ago; she was a big wheel in Team Galactic.

Brendan: T-Team Galactic? But that's –!

Slooth: Yup. Not sure how much you know, but … she was one of the four admins, second-in-command to Cyrus, their leader. Jupiter, Saturn, and Charon were all arrested. Noone ever found Melissa …. or, perhaps, I should say "Mars".

Slooth: The International Police never saw her after that incident on Stark Mountain. Someone claimed that she had quit the team to go find Cyrus, who had vanished himself, Arceus-knows-where.

Slooth: Point is, she vanished off the face of the earth. Went into hiding, probably. Couldn't tell you what for. Looks like she came out into the open, at any rate.

Brendan: …...

Slooth: That's the, uh …. that's pretty much the whole record. All we need is the fingerprints to match, and ….

Slooth: Just in time. It's a perfect match. Melissa was here.

Brendan: …...

Slooth: Hey, Brendan. You okay?

Brendan: (So …. that was her all along. That person Blue was talking to …)  
Brendan: (But why? Does he know she's the murderer? Is he trying to side with her?)

Brendan: (That low-life …. It's like he'll do whatever it takes to win, whether it's right or wrong …)

Brendan: (But … what about the timing? Why now? Why not sooner when – when Mom was …..)

Brendan: (She's gonna pay. I'll make her pay for everything ….)

Brendan: Blue's gonna bring her to court tomorrow.

Slooth: Wha … ?

Brendan: And when she shows up …. I'm gonna give her the conviction she deserves.

Brendan: No matter what it takes.

_TO BE CONTINUED …_


	5. Chapter 5

[ 8:34 AM – July 27th, 2017 ]

[ Goldenrod City Courthouse - Lobby ]

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All_ – Courtroom Lounge ~ Another Prelude)

Brendan: (Skye's not here yet …. Guess this would be a good time to go over my notes.)

Brendan: (Slooth gave back the cat hair and the trinket yesterday.)

Brendan: (The hair got a match on Purugly, but the trinket didn't turn up anything, so I didn't bring it.)

Brendan: (Let's see … anything else I need to go over? I think I need to update some of my notes …. )

**FINAL COURT RECORD**:

_**Evidence**_

**Attorney's Badge**: Proof of my current profession. I wear it with a little more pride nowadays.

**Pokégear**: A really fancy "wristwatch". Recently upgraded to make it capable of translating Pokémon speech.

**Bag**: My bag from when I was a Trainer. Has three unused Pokéballs and a Potion in it.

**Lilycove Police Headquarters**: Hoenn's highest-ranking police group. Has connections with the International Police. My mom, Lily, did off-the-clock research for them.

**International Police**: Did ongoing investigations on big criminal organizations from at least 2007 to 2008.

**Team Galactic**: Criminal organization that ran at its peak in 2008. The International Police had an eagle eye on them. In addition to Cyrus as the boss, it had three admins: Jupiter, Saturn, and Charon; all have been arrested. Turns out a fourth admin, Mars, escaped.

**Skye's Testimony**: She absentmindedly handled the knife with a bare hand on the night of the murder.

**Altered Locks**: Someone apparently picked my normal lock and took out the bolt. How they managed the latter is beyond me.

**Bed Prints**: Four small paw prints and a larger dent were found in the dirt next to the doorstep. Photo is timestamped at 7:20 AM, taken the morning after the crime.

**Cat Hair**: A single hair was found on the doorstep, and several more hairs were found on the living room carpet. Turns out it belongs to a Purugly.

**Stabbing Note**: There were no marks on the front of Mom's body or clothes to indicate that she was stabbed more than once.

**Knife**: The murder weapon. Skye was examining it as evidence for another murder. Said to have a bloodstain from a prior murder.

**Fingerprint Info**: There were out-of-place fingerprints on my windows. Perfect match with the prints of Melissa "Mars" Surre.

**Spinarak's Testimony**: The intruder had a mass of red hair, and was followed by a large, blue-ish Pokémon and a large cat (also a Pokémon?).

**Hotel Record**: Melissa checked in on July 22nd at 2 PM and checked out on July 25th at 6 PM.

_**Profiles**_

**Brendan Namron**: (AGE: 23) Me, of course. Originally a Trainer in Hoenn, I came back to Johto to study law four years ago.

**Lily Namron**: (AGE: 45) My mother, and the victim. She and I originally lived in Johto, but we moved to Hoenn in 2007 after my father became a Gym Leader there. Did unofficial research for the Lilycove Police for about a year.

**Phoenix**: (AGE: 5) My Torchic. Son of a Pokémon I released before I moved back to Johto.

**Skye**: (AGE: 9) My Kirlia. Joined the forensics team the day I became a lawyer. Daughter of another Pokémon from my training days. Currently my client, accused of the murder of Lily Namron.

**Cyrus**: A sinister man that wanted to erase the world and remake it his way. After a kid from Sinnoh stopped him, he disappeared. (image silhouetted)

**Detective Slooth**: (Age: 35) High-ranking detective at the Goldenrod Police Department. Always there for someone in a jam.

**Gary Oak**: (Age: 27) "Blue" is his nickname. Leader of the Viridian Gym in Kanto. Apparently well-known in that region for his prosecuting skills.

**Silver**: (Age: 30) A red-haired man who is close to his Feraligatr. Currently staying at the Goldenrod Hotel. Almost certainly not the murderer.

**Melissa Surre**: Possibly the murderer? Red hair, partners with a Purugly and a Bronzong.

Brendan: …. (Looks like that covers it. Hopefully this is everything I need …. there's a lot of information as it is.)

Brendan: (I'm willing to bet that Blue has some new stuff up his sleeve, though …. I need to keep my wits about me.)

Brendan: ….. (I need a towel. My palms feel like I just pulled them out of a sink.)

Brendan: (They should be here soon … I wonder what's taking so long.)

Brendan: (Maybe I should let Phoenix out … )

[Brendan pops open the Pokéball.]

Phoenix: (looking solemn)

Brendan: … Morning, Phoenix. How're you feeling?

Phoenix: Okay, I guess … You sure you can clear Skye, though?

Brendan: Pretty sure … so long as I stay calm in there.

Brendan: (I think he's still as upset about Mom as I am … I can't show it yet, though.)

Brendan: (If they don't have me for support, we're all probably going down … )

… … …

Phoenix: Hey, Brendan … What're you gonna do about … it?

Brendan: Huh? What's "it"?

Phoenix: The … the funeral. When is it?

Brendan: … … I don't know.

Phoenix: When will you know?

Brendan: I'm not sure, Phoenix. funerals are expensive these days, and I can't afford one right now …

Phoenix: But … your dad can do it, right? He a Gym Leader and all –

Brendan: Let's not talk about it now, alright?

Phoenix: But – but wh-

Brendan: It's just not a good time. Maybe later.

Phoenix: (defeated) … Okay.

Brendan: (There are some things that just shouldn't be brought up at times like this … If only Phoenix knew.)

[The front door to the lobby suddenly opens. Skye walks in, escorted by a policeman and a Houndoom.]

Brendan: Morning, Skye.

Skye: Morning, Brendan! Ready to get this over with?

Brendan: …

Skye: (seeing Brendan's and Phoenix's long faces) Not quite, by the looks of it …

Officer: Good morning, Mr. Namron. We just finished setting up the Arena Trap.

Officer: She's in your hands from here on. Best of luck.

Brendan: Thank you, sir. Take care.

[The officer releases Skye from her cuffs, and he and his Houndoom head back out the door.]

Skye: … Not exactly a great morning for a trial, I guess …

Brendan: We'll be fine, Skye. Just … don't let Blue intimidate you.

Skye: Not a problem here.

?: Is that so?

Phoenix, Brendan: !

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All_ – Investigation ~ Core 2002)

Blue: Morning, Namron. Ready to face the truth about your precious Kirlia?

Brendan: I already know the truth, Oak. She's innocent, and I know who isn't.

Blue: So you say, but are you certain you can prove that?

Brendan: Positive.

Blue: Only fools are positive, my "friend" …

Blue: You know what's coming. I expect you to put up a good fight in there. See you in a few ….

[Blue departs into the courtroom.]

Skye: I found a nifty lil' nugget while he was railing on you, Brendan …

Brendan: What would that be?

Skye: … He's a rookie, too.

[ 10:00 AM – July 27th, 2017 ]

[ Goldenrod City Courthouse – Courtroom #2 ]

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations_ - Trials And Tribulations ~ Court Begins)

*gallery chatter*

*gavel pounds*

Judge: Court is now in session for the trial of Kirlia Skye Namron.

Judge: I take it that both sides are ready?

Brendan: … The defense is ready, Your Honor.

Blue: The prosecution is prepared as well, Your Honor. Let's get this over with fast, Namron.

Brendan: I intend to, Blue. (What's it that's concerning him, anyway?)

Judge: … As both sides know, yesterday's portion of the trial ended up focusing on the incident at the hotel, and its connection with the case. You were asked to work with the police afterwards and investigate other aspects of the case. I trust much progress has been made since then.

Blue: It has indeed, Your Honor. I have much evidence to bring to light on this case.

Blue: I think that we should start with the house the victim was staying the night in – that of the defense attorney opposite me.

Blue: "Detective" Namron, as a psychic, was certainly capable of manipulating the scene to however it saw fit, in order to forge a crime scene that points to someone else – anyone else – and get away with everything that has taken place thus far.

Blue: It is my intention to reveal the truth to Mr. Namron – that not all Pokemon can be trustworthy to the end.

Brendan: (Not all humans are trustworthy to the end, either, but I don't see you railing on any …)

Blue: I will, of course, provide evidence with my claims. I … **trust** … that you will do the same, Brendan Namron.

Brendan: … (What, is _he_ psychic now?)

Skye: [grinning] (Nah, you're just easy to read.)

Brendan: (Hey! I'll have you know I had a mean poker face during a 5-card draw tournament!)

Skye: [chuckle] (Oh, it was mean, alright ….)

Judge: Mr. Namron? What's going on over there?

Brendan: ! N-Nothing, Your Honor. Just thinking.

Judge: I think that you think that you've been thinking for a bit longer than necessary. Mr. Oak, please proceed.

Blue: With pleasure, Your Honor.

Blue: Yesterday's trial stole the focus from the crime scene. Today, I wish to walk the court through a summary of what was found.

Blue: I will start by bringing Detective Slooth to the witness stand.

Judge: Very well. Bailiff, if you please. (music fades out)

Slooth: Is this really necessary, Blue?

Blue: I dare say it is, Detective. Procedure and all that.

Blue: Now then, let's not dawdle. I want a recounting of what the crime scene was like from the outside.

Slooth: Yes, sir. Here goes.

Brendan: (Looks like we're jumping right in. Look sharp, Brendan!)

**CROSS EXAMINATION**

**The Outside**

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations_ – Cross Examination ~ Moderate 2004)

Slooth:

**Part 1**: The crew heard about the murder around 1 A.M. that fateful morning.

**Part 2**: The team investigated for about ten hours. We turned over most every inch of that place.

**Part 3**: The only thing of significance was that messed up doorknob. There weren't even footprints!

**Part 4**: Truth be told, I think we should already be talking about the inside of the house.

_Press Part 1._

Brendan: 1 AM, huh … ? I barely remember much around that time.

Slooth: We went slowly around the house with flashlights and cameras, trying to document everything.

Slooth: Most of what we found wasn't all that noteworthy, save the wreck that was the room of the murder.

Brendan: (I'd rather not talk about how much of a "wreck" all this is ...)

_Press Part 3._

Brendan: So, you're saying that you spent all that time and found nothing else important?

Slooth: That's correct, Brendan. Whoever did it did a great job of covering their tracks.

Blue: Indeed … which suggests that it was an "inside" job, if you will.

Brendan: (Boy, have I got news for you two …)

_Present Bed Prints to Part 3._

**OBJECTION****! **(music stops)

Brendan: Detective Slooth, I have something for you to look at.

Slooth: … What is that picture of?

Blue: ! That's a set of pawprints!

Brendan: It sure is. Want to guess where they were found?

Slooth: Er … somewhere at your place?

(Music: _Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth_ – Objection! 2009)

Brendan: (grinning) Exactly.

Brendan: And what's more, they were found in some dirt near my front door – as you can see, they lead away from the block of concrete in front of it. And they weren't there before the day this photo was taken.

Blue: And when would that be, Namron?

Brendan: The morning of the crime, naturally. I took the picture at 7:20 AM while looking for evidence.

Blue: … I fail to see your point, Namron. These could easily be any stray animal's paw prints.

Brendan: Well … that's true, but … these lead straight to my front door. And strays almost never walk around my house, as it's inside the city area.

Skye: (Just barely.)

Brendan: (A minor detail.)

Blue: (shrugs) It means little. A strange coincidence, nothing more.

Blue: Detective, do you have anything else to report before we proceed?

Slooth: Nothing, sir. Like I said, the focus was the inside of the house.

Brendan: (Nothing at all? Slooth, where is your memory today?)

Brendan: (I'm pretty sure I remember at least one other thing being off yesterday …)

**Raise an Objection**

**Say Nothing**

_Raise an objection._

Brendan: What about the doorstep? I found this cat hair there the other morning.

Brendan: Now, suppose I ran a test on it to determine what breed of cat crossed my lawn. What do you think I'd come up with?

Blue: (arms folded) A waste of time. It's the hair of some stray cat, nothing more.

Brendan: Sorry, Blue. That's not gonna work.

Brendan: I had Detective Slooth run a scan on this hair yesterday. Take a wild guess what it came from.

Blue: Again, Namron, you're wasting our time. Out with it.

Brendan: (Wipe that smug look off your face.) It came from a Purugly.

Blue: … And the significance, Namron, is what?

Brendan: I'll tell you, Blue.

Brendan: (fiercely; close-up shot) This is proof that a cat from a foreign region visited my house!

*chatter in the gallery*

Blue: (visibly sweating) Al … alright. You have a point there, Namron. You had an outside visitor.

Blue: But! A Purugly cannot commit murder like that of this crime! Can you prove it had an owner?

Brendan: (How in the world would a Purugly get here without an owner?)

Brendan: (Regardless, that's not exactly strong ground to tread on. Let's look at the evidence …)

**I can prove who owns it**

**I can't right now**

_I can't right now_

Brendan: As much as I'd like to show you who I think owns the Purugly, I can't prove it to you. (For now, at least.) [music fades out]

Blue: I thought so. Nothing but flimsy assumptions swimming in that head of yours.

Brendan: (We'll soon see …)

Blue: Detective Slooth. I think we're done with discussion of the house's exterior.

Blue: Report on the inside of Mr. Namron's house.

Slooth: Do I have to? …

**CROSS EXAMINATION**

**The Inside**

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations_ – Cross Examination ~ Moderate 2004)

Slooth: (looking solemn)

**Part 1**: The inside of the house was untouched for the most part.

**Part 2**: Only two rooms had any signs of intrusion: Skye's room and Lily's.

**Part 3**: The murder weapon was definitely taken from Skye's room.

**Part 4**: Skye's fingerprints were on the knife, too. We didn't find any others.

Recap:

Brendan: (I get this awful feeling that Blue is trying to force Slooth to lie through his teeth.)

Brendan: (What he said just now is so obviously false …)

Skye: (I think it's desperation. Looks to me like his strategy is bluffing. Maybe in hopes he'll throw you off.)

Brendan: (It's not gonna work. You didn't use that knife, but we know who did.)

Brendan: (Blue said yesterday that he might call her as a witness. Let's see if he does …)

Skye: (Go to it, Brendan!) [smiles]

_Present Fingerprint Info to Part 4._

**OBJECTION**! (music stops)

Brendan: Slooth, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you're being asked to lie.

Slooth: Says who, pal?

Brendan: Says Blue. (pan to him; he's sweating bullets)

Brendan: And I know this because you, Slooth, helped me discover yesterday why your statement just now is false.

Brendan: There was a visitor's fingerprints on the window that weren't there before the night of the crime!

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_: Announce the Truth 2007)

Blue: A-And just whose prints were those, huh?

Brendan: You would know, Blue. They belong to Sinnoh resident Melissa Surre!

*gallery uproar*

Judge: Order! ORDER! ORDERRRRRR!

Judge: What is the meaning of this? Why am I being left in the dark all of a sudden?

Blue: Your Honor, allow me to explain. Yesterday, I encountered someone who indeed went by the name of Melissa Surre. She seemed … a bit suspicious, so I questioned her.

Blue: I cannot explain why her fingerprints were on Namron's window, but my best offer is that the defendant may have put them there. Perhaps it lifted a print from Ms. Surre's room at the hotel.

Brendan: But that's ridiculous! Skye wasn't there long enough to –

Blue: You forget your own Pokemon, Namron! Are you now saying that it isn't as good of a detective as you've claimed?

Brendan: …

Blue: If it's as good as they say, lifting a proper print would be trivial for a Pokemon like yours. Five seconds, tops.

Blue: Psychically planting it elsewhere would be a piece of cake.

Brendan: Would it, now? I can think of one piece of evidence that'll blow that theory out of the water.

Blue: … Alright. Show it to me. What proves that the defendant couldn't have transferred the prints itself?

_Present Knife_

Blue: The murder weapon? Explain, Namron.

Brendan: If Skye had plans to murder my mother and was capable of copying, or intended to copy, the fingerprints as you claim,

Brendan: don't you think that she would have copied the prints to this knife as well?

Blue: Gah!

Brendan: Sure, Skye's prints are on here, but she's already explained that she lost track of things and was toying with it during an investigation.

Blue: And I've already explained that it could have used the knife psychically.

Blue: We're going in circles, Namron. What's your point?

Brendan: I'm trying to accuse the true murderer, of course.

Judge: Is … is this true, Mr. Namron?

Brendan: Yes, Your Honor. If it pleases the court, I wish to make an official accusation here and now.

Judge: …. Very well. Who do you believe is the true murderer of Lily Namron?

_Present Melissa Surre_

Judge: Who – who is that?

Brendan: That, Your Honor, is Melissa Surre in the photograph. She is a resident of the Sinnoh region.

Brendan: Ten years ago, she was involved in a criminal organization that was well known to the police.

Brendan: That organization was Team Galactic. Melissa … was Mars.

(Music: _Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney_: Pressing Pursuit ~ Cornered 2007)

*gallery chatter*

Judge: *gavel pounding* Order! Order in the court!

Judge: Mr. Namron! Do you realize what you're saying?

Brendan: I am, Your Honor. Mars traveled to this country in order to murder my mother.

Blue: How and why, Namron? It helps if you can back up your theory.

Brendan: I'll get to that, Blue. Out of curiosity, did you happen to bring Mars here for possible testimony?

Blue: !

Brendan: If you would be so kind as to call her to the stand … (music fades)

Blue: … Fine, Namron. I'll play your game.

Blue: Your Honor. I request to remove Detective Slooth from the stand and replace him with my next witness.

Judge: … As you like, Mr. Oak.

[Melissa Surre looks as irritated as ever. Her hair vaguely resembles the style she used back in her days as Mars, but it looks quite frazzled now.]

Melissa: … *scowl*

Blue: Witness, name and occupation.

Melissa: … Melissa Surre. Ex-Galactic.

Melissa: Mister Oak, you _assured_ me that I would not –

Blue: I did not, Ms. Surre. I said it would be _unlikely_.

Blue: Now, if you would kindly testify to the court how you came into this region and what you did here, we'll have you back off the stand in no time.

Melissa: … Tch, fine.

Skye: (This won't be easy, Brendan.)

Brendan: (I know. I'm going to have to pry the truth from her with everything I've got.)

Brendan: (One clue at a time.)

**CROSS EXAMINATION**

**Visit to Johto**

(Music: _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney _– Cross Examination ~ Allegro 2001)

Melissa: (slightly irritated)

**Part 1**: I just … felt like taking a little vacation, that's all.

**Part 2**: So I took a ship here from Sinnoh.

**Part 3**: I checked in to the Goldenrod Hotel on the 22nd, a little past noon.

**Part 4**: I stayed in the hotel a lot of the time. Went out every now and then.

**Part 5**: I checked out yesterday and was preparing to head home, …

**Part 6**: … when suddenly I was confronted by the police on suspicion of murder!

**Part 7**: But, I have nothing to do with it, I swear.

Recap:

Brendan: (Some of this testimony is fine, but the rest feels like a blatant lie.)

Skye: (Got any ideas about where to start?)

Brendan: (A few, but timing is everything.) *wink*

**Press Part 3**

HOLD IT!

Brendan: So, exactly when did you check in to the Goldenrod Hotel, Ms. Surre?

Melissa: *sigh* 2:00 P.M. exactly. I had a late lunch after that.

Brendan: … I see. And what about after lunch?

Melissa: Spent time in my room. Nothing important.

Brendan: … Oh.

**Press Part 4**

HOLD IT!

Brendan: Can you tell me what exactly you went out to do?

Melissa: Went shopping. Visited other towns. The usual vacation activities.

Brendan: (… She's being deliberately vague, I think. Should I press her further?)

**Press harder.**

**Let it go.**

**Press harder**:

Brendan: Witness! We can't afford for you to be vague about this! Where did you go during your stay?

Melissa: Ugh, you lawyers are always demanding pointless _details_! *sigh* On the 23rd I went out to Olivine to enjoy the beach. On the 24th I visited Sprout Tower; the 25th, Mount Silver. Then I packed up to go home.

Blue: Mr. Namron, what is the point here? She went to some of Johto's more notable sites. It tells us nothing!

**OBJECTION!**

Brendan: Well, Blue, if you, uh, let me finish my questioning, everything will become clear.

Phoenix: (quietly, sarcastically) Way to dance out of that one.

Brendan: (whispering, sincerely) Thanks.

Blue: *sigh* Fine, fine. Continue, witness.

**Let it go.**:

Brendan: … Oh, okay then. Hope it was, uh, a pleasant stay.

Blue: You will have a very unpleasant stay, Namron, if you don't stop with the babble.

Brendan: *gulp*

Blue: Continue, witness.

**Press Part 5**

HOLD IT!

Brendan: You checked out yesterday? So, five days if you count the day you checked in?

Melissa: That's right.

Skye: Kinda odd to check in on a Saturday, don't you think?

Brendan: That's not the only thing that's odd …

**Present Hotel Record**

**OBJECTION!**

Melissa: *irate* Oh, what is it now?

Brendan: Ms. Surre, let me make sure I have this right. You checked in to the Goldenrod Hotel on Saturday the 22nd, right?

Melissa: Yes.

Brendan: And your checkout was … when?

Melissa: Last night. At 6:00.

Brendan: So, the 26th, then? Wednesday?

Melissa: T-That's right.

Brendan: I see. Why, then, does this official record from the Goldenrod Hotel …

(Music: PW T&T: Pursuit ~ Cornered 2004)

Brendan: say you checked out on the 25th?

Melissa: Hmph. For all we know, that transcript is a fake. You might have typed it up yourself.

Brendan: Do you want to bet a phone call to the hotel on that?

Melissa: …

Brendan: I can easily tell the court why she checked out that day:

Brendan: Because that was the night of the murder!

*gallery chatter*

*gavel pounds thrice*

Judge: Order! Order! Order in the court!

Judge: Mr. Namron, that's a very interesting train of thought you have going,

Judge: but I'm afraid you'll need to lay down some more tracks to get it to the station!

Judge: If Ms. Surre checked out at 6 PM two nights ago, then where did she go next?

**Another hotel**

**Scene of the crime**

**Friend's house**

**Somewhere else**

**Scene of the crime**

Brendan: Your Honor, after Melissa checked out of the hotel, she wasted no time getting to her next destination: the scene of the crime.

Brendan: Skye and my mom were working on preparing dinner from around 6:30 to 7:30. During that time, I saw a person I didn't recognize peering into the window. I waved at them.

Brendan: I'm beginning to thing that the person I saw was Melissa Surre herself!

Blue: Namron, need I remind you? Never make an accusation without the proof.

Blue: So, Namron. Where is it? How do you know that it was Melissa there at your window?

_**Present Fingerprint Info**_

Brendan: Easy, Blue. She left fingerprints on the kitchen window!

(Music: PW T&T: Pursuit ~ Caught)

*gallery chatter*

Melissa: (silently fuming) …

Skye: (I think you've almost got her! Look, she can't even speak!)

Skye: (Don't let up on the pressure!)

Judge: Order! ORDERRRRRR! ORDER in the COURT!

Judge: Mr. Namron, for the sake of my nerves, please _calmly_ explain what's so easy about this.

Brendan: Your Honor, I believe I have already told the court that I had Detective Slooth check fingerprints that were found on the window to Skye's room,

Brendan: but I fear I failed to mention aloud that I asked his team to check every window.

Brendan: And, as it turns out, there were prints on the outside of multiple windows of my house.

Brendan: It's obvious that Melissa was carelessly using her hands to block the fading light outside and get a better view in!

Melissa: W-Wait.

Brendan: !

Melissa: So you're so dead-set on pinning me as the murderer … Tell me then … how did I enter the house?

Melissa: Every residency in Goldenrod has a deadbolt on all their doors, and it'd be pretty obvious if someone used a Pokemon to get in … So, if I killed your pathetic mother, how did I get in?

Brendan: (… Nobody talks that way about Mom.) This is how!

_**Present Altered Locks**_

Brendan: You picked the main lock anyway, Melissa. And then you somehow accomplished the impossible: you removed the deadbolt entirely! Without touching the rest of the door!

Blue: He admits it, Your Honor! It's impossible! Ms. Surre can't have entered the house because she –

**OBJECTION!**

Brendan: Maybe it's impossible for someone unprepared, Blue, but Melissa was not unprepared.

**OBJECTION!**

Blue: You just told us that Ms. Surre removed the deadbolt without leaving any evidence of tampering on the door. There is no way, even with a Pokemon, to do such a thing if the door isn't already open!

Brendan: [shakes head, smiles] There is one way, and one way alone.

Brendan: (I think it all comes down to this. Ready to finish this?)

Skye: Yeah.

Phoenix: Let's do it!

Blue: … I'm listening, Namron. How did Melissa Surre get inside your house?

_**Present Melissa Surre's Profile**_

[Music stops.]

Brendan: As the court has been told, Melissa Surre is an ex-member of Team Galactic.

Brendan: And, when Melissa was in Team Galactic as Mars, she carried three Pokemon with her:

Brendan: A Purugly, a Crobat, and a Bronzong.

Brendan: Because she had a Crobat, I think it's safe to say that she was, at the very least, attached to her Pokemon. Ergo, she probably still has all three of them to this day.

Melissa: …

Brendan: And, of those three Pokemon, which does the court think might have been the most useful in doing the "impossible" – like, say, removing a deadbolt?

Blue: [alarmed, suddenly realizing] The – the Bronzong –!

Brendan: Exactly.

[Music: Kingdom Hearts re:coded: Namine]

(Melissa looks completely flustered at this point. She reaches underneath the witness stand and pulls out two Pokeballs. Brendan flinches, remembering how his last case ended, but Melissa calmly opens them and sighs. Her Purugly and Bronzong now stand beside her.)

Brendan: (… Not all three.)

Melissa: … You win, Namron. Give it back, Purr.

(The Purugly grabs a small briefcase from behind Melissa with its tail, and drags it over to the defense bench. Blue looks at it curiously.)

Brendan: I know this case … Your Honor, if I may?

Judge: Go ahead.

Blue: Those are … Mrs. Namron's papers …

Brendan: … Yeah. All her criminal research, cherished letters, stuff like that … Lots of information on Team Galactic. (looks at Melissa) _This_ … is what you killed Mom for?

Melissa: … (tears up) No.

Blue: Why, then? What in the world would make you go through all this to kill one simple person?

Brendan: (I wonder … Why has Blue been leaning toward sympathetic all of a sudden? He hasn't been his aggressive self most of the trial …)

Melissa: … I wanted revenge. For what she did to Cyrus.

Skye: (looking at a paper) What _she_ did? She only helped the police track him. She never meant to –

Melissa: – trap him in the Distortion World! Sentenced him to a life all alone, away from us! Her work took him from me, left him to die …!

Skye: … He was evil, Melissa. He wanted to erase us all and start his own world.

Melissa: I would have let him! I was the only one on the team who understood how he felt, what made him happy … All I wanted was for him to be happy …

Melissa: And then that kid came one day. He was always in our way, already prepared to stop every little thing we did … And in the end, he and the police cornered us, drove Cyrus into the Distortion World, and left him to die there …

Melissa: I quit the team and fled, got arrested, broke out, and did everything I could to open the portal again … But nothing I did worked. Cyrus never came back. So I traced the police investigation to its mastermind – Lily Namron.

Brendan: My mom.

Melissa: I found out from one of the locals that she went here, took a private boat, and waited.

Skye: You felt that someone had to be blamed. You couldn't find the Trainer, so you went with – as you saw it – the next-best thing.

Melissa: … I did.

Brendan: … Melissa, … you'll never get anywhere by pinning the blame on others.

Brendan: I mean, yes … you k-killed my mother. *sniff* But … even if I wanted to get revenge on you … it wouldn't make things better. It'd probably make me feel worse.

Brendan: But ... I'm not saying I forgive you. Just … letting you know.

Skye: … Brendan, I found something in the suitcase. Here …

Melissa: I … I've read everything in there. I don't need to hear it.

Brendan: I don't think you've read this.

Blue: *sigh* Make it quick.

Brendan:

"Dear Cyrus,

"I do not know if I will be able to write you any more letters. The time has come that we must put an end to your scheming.

"We have drifted apart over the years; this has been my greatest fear since the dawn of my youth. We are enemies by virtue of the law. Heed my warning: The International Police are closing in. You will be stopped.

"My only wish is to see you smiling again with the few friends you had.

"Yours truly, Lily."

[Music: Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: Reminiscence ~ KG-8 Case]

Brendan: (narrating) Melissa was crying when they removed her from the courtroom. Not even Skye could bring a smile to her face when the judge declared her

**N O T G U I L T Y .**

Brendan: I took Skye and Phoenix by the Goldenrod Grill for lunch. It had been a long trial, and they had earned it as much as anyone.

Brendan: Phoenix wolfed everything down, as usual. Skye nibbled at her food. I couldn't eat at all. We eventually took the leftovers home.

Brendan: They had already removed Mom's body and cleaned up the mess. Skye and Phoenix went to their rooms, and later Skye left for the police station. I collapsed on the couch, and didn't get up for a long time.

Brendan: My fact was wet when I woke up. Skye and Phoenix were standing next to me, expressions unreadable. Skye said something to me. I'm not sure I remember what. All I know is that I hugged her for all I was worth and cried for several minutes.

[Music: Pokemon Black and White versions: Sayonara]

The funeral was Sunday evening. The entire investigation team, Slooth, Silver, all my friends, Mom's relatives, and my dad … they were all there. I remember they played Above All. I can still see the moment they lowered her casket into the ground. I remember being offered a lot of food and eating almost none of it; although we rarely had to worry about leftovers.

And when all the gathered mourning and reminiscing was done … I wasn't sure what to do.

I thought about turning in my badge at one point. Skye would have none of that, of course.

Skye: You know Lily wouldn't want that. We all should keep going.

Brendan: … Yeah. Yeah, we should.

I'll keep going, Mom. I know you're proud of me. Thanks for everything, and …

… goodbye.

**T H E E N D**

**of case 2.**


End file.
